NSN Short | Art Authentication

What this episode covers

Vincent van Gogh has inspired several talented artists to turn their hands to forgery. Can computers be used to identify which works are really his? To find out, NOVA scienceNOW, working in cooperation with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, commissioned an expert in art reconstruction to make a meticulous copy of a van Gogh painting. Then, we challenged three different computer teams—from Princeton, Penn State, and Maastricht universities—to see if they could spot the imitation in a group that included five genuine van Goghs. Watch NOVA every Wednesday night on PBS. Or join us online at pbs.org/nova. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA scienceNOW is provided by the National Science Foundation, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and PBS viewers. Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Lockheed Martin Corporation, and PBS viewers.

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