The Same Yet Different: Copy, Imitation and Forgery in Visual Art
International scholarly conference. Call for papers
The Lithuanian National Museum of Art invites paper proposals for the international scholarly conference The Same Yet Different: Copy, Imitation and Forgery in Visual Art, to be held on 15–16 October 2026 at Vilnius Picture Gallery (4 Didžioji St., Vilnius).
The Same Yet Different: Copy, Imitation and Forgery in Visual Art
„He also copied drawings done by various old masters so closely that they were not recognized as copies, for by staining and ageing them with smoke and various materials, he soiled them so that they seemed old and could not be distinguished from the originals; he did this for no other reason than to have the originals, giving away his copies, because he admired the originals for the excellence of their skill, which he sought to surpass in his copies, thereby acquiring a very great reputation.“
Giorgio Vasari, Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects
The incident described by Giorgio Vasari in the 16th century reveals a paradox that remains relevant today: what was understood as the pinnacle of mastery and respect for tradition in one period may become a crime in another. Authenticity and authorship are questions that museums and art historians confront on a daily basis. In response to the relevance of this subject, the Lithuanian National Museum of Art invites art historians, historians, cultural studies scholars, museum professionals, heritage specialists, and researchers from other fields to participate in an international scholarly conference dedicated to the phenomenon of copies, imitations, and forgeries in cultural history and the present day. The conference aims to bring together specialists from different disciplines for a collective discussion on the relationship between original and copy, the boundaries of authorship, the construction of value, and the transformation of these concepts over time and contemporary cultural practices.
The conference aims to critically examine the phenomenon of the copying from an interdisciplinary perspective, analysing its meanings in various cultural, social, and political contexts – from workshop practices and learning through imitation to contemporary issues of attribution, expertise, the market, and legal regulation.
We invite proposals for 20-minute papers on the following themes:
- The changing concept of authenticity;
- Copies in philosophy and aesthetic theories;
- An anthropological approach to forgery;
- Forgery as a cultural and social phenomenon;
- Authorship and its problem: workshops, followers, collaborative creation;
- Methods of attribution: boundaries and interpretations;
- Copies and forgeries in museums and private collections;
- The art market, expertise, and conflicts of interest;
- „Problematic“ works: curatorial strategies;
Conference proceedings will be published in the peer-reviewed Lithuanian National Museum of arts publication Texts on Visual Arts.
The conference will be held in Lithuanian and English
Please send paper topics, abstracts (up to 500 words) and speakers’ biographical summaries in Lithuanian or English by 19 June 2026 to joana.vitkute@lndm.lt. Applicants will be informed of selection results by 15 July 2026.
Conference Organising and Academic Committee:
Dr Algė Andriulytė
Dr Aistė Bimbirytė
Lina Jurnienė
Gabija Kasparavičiutė-Kaminskienė
Dr Dainius Labeckis
Dr Ewa Manikowska
Dalia Tarandaitė
Dr Joana Vitkutė
4 Didžioji st, Vilnius, Lithuania
+370 5 261 1685
vpg@lndm.lt
