Fake or Fortune?
WEDNESDAY 28 July, 9pm BBC1 Factual
Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould are back with a new series of the show that explores the mysteries behind works of art to determine if the owners are sitting on a gold mine. They begin with a couple who believe that a sculpture left to them by a friend may be the work of celebrated artist Henry Moore and it could be worth up to £1 million…
When Neil and Barbara Betts were helping their neighbours Mr and Mrs Williams clear out their garden in 1987,
Neil uncovered an unusual sculpture in the undergrowth with his strimmer – and it was taken into the house and used as a doorstop.
After the Williamses passed away, Neil and Barbara inherited the sculpture, which they nicknamed ‘Henry’ after an art-historian pal of theirs remarked that it looked like the work of famous sculptor Henry Moore.
Hidden treasure
The couple reached out to the Henry Moore Foundation, which looks after the artist’s legacy, to discover if it could be a lost work of his, and were invited to submit it for evaluation.
Neil and Barbara then asked Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould from BBC1’S art-investigation series
Fake or Fortune? to help them carry out research, in the hope of putting together a convincing case for the panel...
‘The Henry Moore Foundation get hundreds of enquiries every year from people hoping they might have a Henry Moore,’ says Fiona. ‘But only about 30 or 40 get put through to the review panel that decides whether it is genuine or not.’
While the initial signs look promising, the team proceed with caution as the owner of the house before the Williamses was Betty Jewson, a noted local artist who could have made the sculpture herself. But if it is a genuine Henry Moore, it could fetch up to £1 million.
‘We say on Fake or Fortune? so often that there’s a lot at stake – but there’s a lot at stake with this one!’ says Fiona. ‘The difference between it being accepted as Henry Moore or not is just massive.’