In 1994, the arrest of Geert Jan Jansen sent the art world into an uproar: the police had found more than 1,600 works of art forged by Jansen – paintings he had signed with Picasso, Appel, Matisse, Chagall and other greats of art history. Although so many fakes were in circulation, numerous collectors and institutions turned to the court only after pressure from the police. In part, they continued to affirm the authenticity of the works. Jansen was jailed for only six months in 2000 due to a lack of evidence.

The Theatercompagnie Berlin is known for its multimedia pieces that combine documentary theater and fiction. “True copy” is a parable about the relativity of truth. Who bears the blame in the end? The forger or the art business, whose greed ultimately turned the forgeries into originals?

Bart Baele, video and lighting designer as well as set designer, and actor Yves Degryse founded Compagnie Berlin in 2003 in their native Antwerp. Both were born in 1977. The name of their company goes back to their series of city portraits under the title “Holoceen” – they chose the name in the knowledge that they would end the series with the Berlin portrait (planned for 2021). The second pillar of their work, “Horror Vacui” from 2010, which also includes “True copy”, is oriented towards human fates.