Two art museums in Shikoku are currently investigating the authenticity of a painting potentially created by a master forger.
The Tokushima Modern Art Museum in Tokushima revealed on July 12 that an oil painting, purportedly by French Cubist Jean Metzinger (1883-1956), is under scrutiny for suspected forgery. The painting, titled “At the Cycle-Race Track,” measures 55 centimeters by 46 centimeters and was acquired by the museum in 1999 for ¥67.2 million through an Osaka gallery.
The Tokushima museum has halted the painting’s exhibition at the Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art and is conducting an investigation to confirm its authenticity. Metzinger, a key figure in the early 20th-century Cubist movement alongside Pablo Picasso, is renowned for his contributions to the art form. “At the Cycle-Race Track” is believed to be one of Metzinger’s significant early works, dated between 1911 and 1912.
The investigation was prompted by information received in early June from an art world source, which referred to an online article suggesting the painting might be a forgery. Further inquiries led to a claim that the painting could have been produced by Wolfgang Beltracchi, a notorious forger known for deceiving collectors with fake artworks of renowned painters.
Although the article in question dates back more than a decade and its validity remains uncertain, the Tokushima museum has requested information from the seller and relevant art organizations that catalog Metzinger’s works to aid in its investigation.
The painting was part of a Cubism exhibition at the Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art starting March 20 but was withdrawn on June 17. The Tokushima museum had also planned to feature the painting in an upcoming exhibition from its collection, set to begin on July 27, but has since decided against displaying it until the authenticity issue is resolved.
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