Redd's Art Guide: Spotting Real and Fake Masterpieces in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Jolly Redd, the sly fox art dealer, is a recurring and much-anticipated visitor in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. He brings a boatload of furniture and, more importantly, art pieces to your island. Among these artworks, you’ll find both genuine masterpieces, perfect for enriching your museum’s art wing, and cunning forgeries that Blathers will refuse to accept. This guide will help you navigate Redd’s inventory, distinguish between authentic art and fakes, and build your impressive museum collection.

Redd’s boat features four art pieces alongside furniture items. Remember, you can only purchase one art piece per visit, making each choice crucial. Sometimes, all four artworks might be fakes; other times, you might find multiple genuine items. With 43 art pieces to collect for the museum, learning to identify the real deal is essential.

Once you make a purchase from Redd, your chosen artwork will be delivered to your mailbox the following day, ready for assessment and potential museum donation.

Unlocking Redd’s Art Gallery

Before Redd graces your island with his presence, you need to pave the way for his arrival by engaging with Blathers at the museum. Blathers will only consider expanding into art once you’ve shown dedication to the museum by donating at least 60 items – these can be fish, bugs, or fossils.

Following your 60th donation, Blathers will mention the exciting prospect of exhibiting art. The very next day, Isabelle will include a warning about “shady art dealers” in her morning broadcast, signaling Redd’s imminent arrival. After this announcement, Redd will begin to appear on your island as a wandering vendor, ready to tempt you with his wares.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Your first encounter with Redd involves a bit of negotiation. He’ll initially offer a painting for an exorbitant 498,000 Bells. However, upon declining, he’ll dramatically lower the price to a much more reasonable 4,980 Bells. This initial piece is guaranteed to be genuine, ensuring a smooth start to your art collection journey.

Donate this first artwork to Blathers, and he will enthusiastically announce plans to open an art exhibit. The museum will then close for renovations the following day, and reopen two days later, proudly featuring its new art wing. After the grand reopening, Redd will start visiting your island irregularly, docking his “Treasure Trawler” and offering new art pieces.

Finding Redd’s Treasure Trawler

Redd anchors his boat at the secluded northern beach of your island. This hidden beach is located at the very back of your island, and unless you’ve extensively terraformed the area, you’ll likely need a ladder to access it.

Redd’s appearances are random, much like other special vendors such as Kicks and Flick. The exact conditions for Redd’s boat to appear are still somewhat unclear, but it’s generally accepted that having the upgraded Resident Services building and a certain level of museum donations are likely prerequisites.

Beyond his random island visits, Redd can also establish a permanent shop at Harv’s Island Plaza for a 100,000 Bells investment. At Harv’s Island, Redd will display two art pieces daily, and both can be either genuine or fake. The daily purchase limit of one art piece still applies on Harv’s Island. Interestingly, if you buy one piece, it will be replaced with a new artwork the next day. If you resist temptation and buy nothing, Redd’s stock on Harv’s Island refreshes every Monday.

Deciphering Redd’s Art: Real or Fake?

The art pieces sold by Redd are all inspired by real-world paintings and sculptures. However, the cunning Redd often attempts to pass off forgeries as genuine articles. Each fake artwork has a distinct visual difference from its authentic counterpart.

Identifying fakes in Animal Crossing: New Horizons can be challenging, as the discrepancies are more subtle compared to previous Animal Crossing games like New Leaf. Pay close attention to details and compare carefully to avoid being tricked.

Below, you’ll find a comprehensive guide detailing the telltale signs of fake versions for each painting and statue Redd offers. This guide will be continuously updated as new information surfaces, ensuring you have the most accurate resource for spotting Redd’s art forgeries.

Important Note (Update): While this guide utilizes in-game textures for identifying fakes, player reports suggest variations in forgeries. Always examine each artwork thoroughly and compare it to the real versions detailed below before making a purchase from Redd.