The Vancouver Art Gallery spent years confirming 10 of its paintings are fakes. That process is now an exhibit.

The Vancouver Art Gallery has determined 10 paintings in its collection are, in fact, fakes – and is showcasing the years-long investigative process that led to that conclusion in a new exhibit.

The Vancouver Art Gallery has determined 10 paintings in its collection are, in fact, fakes – and is showcasing the years-long investigative process that led to that conclusion in a new exhibit.

The 10 oil sketches, which were previously believed to be from famed Group of Seven painter J.E.H. MacDonald, were gifted to the art gallery in 2015.

Shortly after the artworks were displayed, questions about their authenticity were raised by Globe and Mail journalist Marsha Lederman, who reported that the paintings had been unearthed from an Ontario backyard.

The gallery said an investigation was launched shortly after “local art experts” began voicing concerns about the pieces.

"It's not like the Antiques Roadshow where someone comes in and an expert looks at it and tells you everything about it,” said Richard Hill, the gallery’s Smith Jarislowsky senior curator of Canadian art. "I think it's actually quite rare that something like this happens."

The oil sketches were extensively examined by handwriting experts, art historians and others from the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI).

“We started out just by doing a visual examination,” said Kate Helwig, the senior conservation scientist at the CCI. "This was an unusual size for the period and the paper board was quite a lot thicker than what (MacDonald) typically used."