Your Ultimate ACNH Redd Guide: Mastering Art and Avoiding Fakes

Jolly Redd, the sly fox art dealer, is a beloved character in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, bringing a touch of culture and a dash of deceit to your island life. Redd’s arrival introduces a world of art collecting, allowing you to adorn your museum with masterpieces – if you can discern the genuine from the forgery. This comprehensive guide will equip you with all the knowledge you need to navigate Redd’s Treasure Trawler, identify real art, and become a true art connoisseur in ACNH.

Redd’s boat is a treasure trove, holding four unique art pieces alongside furniture. However, buyer beware! Not all that glitters is gold. Just like in previous Animal Crossing games, Redd deals in both authentic artworks, worthy of museum donation, and cunning forgeries, fit only for home decoration or the trash. Choosing wisely is paramount, as you can only purchase one piece of art per visit. Be prepared for anything – Redd’s selection can range from all fakes to multiple genuine pieces in a single visit. In total, there are 43 art pieces to discover and donate to your museum, making art collecting a rewarding long-term endeavor.

Once you make a purchase from Redd, your chosen artwork will be delivered to your mailbox the following day, adding to the anticipation of your art acquisition.

Unlocking Redd’s Visits to Your Island

Before Redd graces your shores with his presence, you need to pave the way by engaging with Blathers, the museum curator. Blathers needs to express interest in expanding the museum to include an art gallery. According to data miners, this pivotal moment occurs after you’ve generously donated at least 60 items to the museum. These donations can be a mix of fish, bugs, and fossils – showcasing the diverse wonders of your island to Blathers.

The day following Blathers’ contemplation of art, Isabelle, in her morning announcements, will alert you about “shady art dealers” – your first official hint of Redd’s impending arrival. After this announcement, keep an eye out for Redd roaming your island.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Your first encounter with Redd is a memorable one. He’ll initially try to sell you a painting for an exorbitant 498,000 Bells. Don’t be intimidated by this initial price tag! Politely decline, and Redd, revealing his true, albeit still cunning, nature, will offer a “discount,” bringing the price down to a much more reasonable 4,980 Bells. Crucially, this first piece of art you purchase from Redd will always be genuine, ensuring a successful start to your art collection.

Donate this inaugural artwork to Blathers. He will then enthusiastically announce plans to open an art exhibit, marking a significant expansion for your island’s museum. The museum will then be closed for renovations for a day. Two days after you donate your first piece of art, the upgraded museum, complete with its art exhibit, will open to the public. From this point forward, Redd will begin to appear on your island on randomly selected days, ready to deal in art – both real and fake.

Locating Redd and His Treasure Trawler

Redd doesn’t simply wander around your main island area. He sets up shop in his “Treasure Trawler,” a boat that docks at the secluded, tiny beach located on the north side of your island. This hidden beach is at the very back of your island, and if you haven’t extensively terraformed, you’ll likely need a ladder to access it. This discreet location adds to Redd’s mystique and the feeling of uncovering a hidden art market.

Redd’s boat appearances are random, much like other special island merchants such as Kicks, the shoe salesman, and Flick, the bug enthusiast. The exact frequency of Redd’s visits and any potential hidden prerequisites (beyond the museum upgrade) remain somewhat unclear. It’s speculated that upgrading Resident Services from a tent to a building might be necessary, or perhaps reaching a certain cumulative donation count to the museum. However, the core trigger is Blathers’ dialogue about art after 60 donations.

Beyond his random island visits, Redd can also establish a permanent presence at Harv’s Island Plaza. By investing 100,000 Bells, you can invite Redd to set up a stall in the plaza, making him consistently accessible. When Redd is on Harv’s Island, he displays two art pieces daily. Interestingly, both pieces can be either forgeries or genuine articles, adding an element of chance even in this permanent setup. Regardless of whether you find Redd on your island or Harv’s Island, the one-piece-per-day purchase limit remains. On Harv’s Island, if you buy a piece, it will be replaced by a new, random artwork the next day. If you resist the temptation and don’t buy any art from Redd at Harv’s Island, his stock will refresh every Monday.

The Fate of Your Art Purchases

Once you’ve acquired art from Redd, you have several options for its use. Genuine artworks are, of course, intended for donation to the museum. Contributing to the museum’s art collection is a key aspect of game progression and a rewarding achievement for dedicated players.

However, art isn’t solely confined to museum display. Both genuine and fake pieces can serve as decorative furniture items in your home. Paintings can adorn your walls, adding a touch of sophistication or quirky charm to your interior design. Statues, particularly, offer more versatile decorating potential, as they can be placed both indoors and outdoors, enhancing your island’s landscape and adding personality to your home.

Fake art, however, has limited utility. Timmy and Tommy at Nook’s Cranny will not purchase forgeries. If you decide you no longer want a fake piece, you’ll need to dispose of it using a Trash Can furniture item. Alternatively, embrace the deception! Displaying fake art in your home can be a humorous way to playfully mislead your villagers or visiting friends who might not be art experts themselves.

Spotting the Difference: Real vs. Fake Art

Redd’s forgeries are not blatant copies; they are cleverly altered versions of genuine masterpieces. Each fake artwork has a distinct, visible difference from its authentic counterpart. Redd has indeed “stepped up his game” in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, making forgery detection more challenging than in previous titles like Animal Crossing: New Leaf. The subtle variations require careful observation and a keen eye for detail. The differences are not always immediately obvious and are certainly more nuanced than in past games.

To aid your art acquisition endeavors, the following sections provide detailed descriptions and visual comparisons to help you distinguish between real and fake versions of each painting and statue available from Redd. Remember to always carefully inspect the art piece Redd is offering and compare it to the real versions before making a purchase. Pay close attention to the specific details highlighted for each artwork, as these are the keys to avoiding costly forgery mistakes and building a truly genuine art collection for your museum.

Important Update (Regarding Fake Art Variations): While this guide utilizes in-game textures to illustrate the differences between real and fake art, reports have emerged of multiple variations of fake paintings existing that were not initially represented in the game’s data. Therefore, always exercise caution and meticulously compare the art offered by Redd with the descriptions and images provided below before committing to a purchase. Ongoing research continues to uncover further details about these variations, and this guide will be updated as more information becomes available.

Comprehensive Guide to Paintings: Spotting Fakes

This section provides a detailed list of paintings available from Redd, along with clear visual guides and descriptions to help you identify the subtle differences between genuine artworks and their forged counterparts.