Intriguing! This story gives an inside view of the machinations of the art market--in particular, what's called the "secondary market" involving the resale of paintings by important artists. You may not be surprised to learn that Abstract Expressionist paintings are frequently forged. But it's rare for a major gallery to give its imprimatur to paintings of uncertain provenance.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/arts/design/authenticity-of-trove-of-pollocks-and-rothkos-goes-to-court.html?hp
Intriguing indeed. It seems that the history of the works as far as prior ownership should be more traceable than it is. It is almost stunning to imagine how much money shifted hands based solely on the reputation of the gallery.
ReplyDeleteWow, this is an incredible story! I worked at an art gallery here in town and we went through a lot of procedures to establish authenticity and keep a historical record of the pieces we took in. I cannot imagine simply establishing the authenticity of a piece simply by looking at it. And as Lolita pointed out, the power behind Knoedler & Company is astounding!
ReplyDeleteI do have torn feelings though concerning the court case. As mentioned in the article, the pieces will have to be proved fake in order for the lawsuit to continue its trail. If experts have not been able to establish their authenticity during a span of 17 years, the court might prematurely judge the pieces and brand them as forgery.
In a way, for an art-lover like myself, decorating our home is quite easy. I just please myself mostly, with my poor husband going along with most of my choices. I am always collecting beautiful things, like handicraft decorative pieces, little sculptures and hangings.
ReplyDeleteAnd I simply hang lovely paintings in all our rooms. Not all are originals of course, as who can afford many of those.
I order many prints on canvas from Wahooart who have a vast collection of images from Western art, that you can choose to make economically-priced prints like this Interior in Aubergines, by Henri Matisse, from there.