Art

Art refers to furniture such as paintings and sculptures, and all are based on real-life works of art. Paintings appear in every game, and can be donated to the art wing of the Museum or placed in a house as decoration. Sculptures are introduced in New Leaf, and serve a similar function. In Wild World and subsequent games, there is a chance for a painting or sculpture to be a forgery. Forged artwork is less valuable than genuine pieces, and forgeries cannot be donated to the museum.

In most games paintings can be bought in one of two locations; either at Tom Nook's store or from Crazy Redd's. They only appear infrequently in Nook's - as Spotlight items - but are guaranteed to be authentic. Paintings are stocked more frequently at Crazy Redd's; there is always one painting in his original stock of three items. However Redd's paintings are more expensive (costing 3,920 Bells) and there is a chance for it to be counterfeit. Villagers frequently speak of Redd's illicit dealings, some having even bought a painting and having it identified as a fake later, much to their dismay. If a villager mentions having bought a fake painting, it means that the painting currently in stock at Crazy Redd's is fake.

In New Leaf, artwork can only be obtained in one of two ways. Villagers may occasionally give the player genuine artwork. Timmy and Tommy's store does not offer artwork as an option for ordering in the catalog. However, periodically Redd's Gallery will appear in the Plaza, and each player may purchase a single item which will be subsequently mailed to their house. As in other games, not all items offered by Redd are genuine, although forged paintings and sculptures appear differently to the genuine pieces. Forgeries can be easily determined with knowledge of the work of art in real life.

After being bought, artwork may be donated to the museum by speaking to the curator, Blathers. Donations can be made unless the same work of art is already on display, or is forged. Accepted art will be added to the gallery in the museum with a corresponding title and name of the player who donated it. If the artwork is forged, Blathers will identify it as such and reject the donation, in keeping with the museum's wish for high quality exhibits. Artwork may also be placed in a house, with paintings placed on an easel.

In all games before New Leaf, forged artwork can be sold for 10 bells. In Wild World, players may exchange a forged painting for 100 bells if they have previously signed up for Lyle's insurance. In New Leaf, forged artwork cannot be sold, and shopkeepers will charge players a disposal fee instead.

All artwork items in Animal Crossing are based on artwork in the real world, such as paintings resembling Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, or Klimt's The Kiss, and sculptures resembling Michelangelo's David. No items use real-world names, instead being named with an adjective followed by the word 'Painting' or 'Statue'. Such examples are the Worthy Painting, Flowery Painting, and the Mystic Statue.

In, some villagers may tell the player that they have met a 'red figure' in the train station, referring to Crazy Redd, then telling the player they bought a painting from him. The villager will ask the player if they will buy it from them and that they have no idea if it is a forgery or not.

List of Paintings in City Folk
There are twenty-three paintings available in Animal Crossing: City Folk. A list can be found on page 42 of the instruction manual, the final page, and is entitled 'Real-world names and credits for artworks used'.

List of Paintings in New Leaf
There are twenty-five paintings available in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Most of the paintings from City Folk are present, with a couple paintings added or replaced.