A Fake Gaugin in the Tate (?)
August 31 2021
Picture: Tate
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Art Newspaper has reported on the rather shocking news that the above painting of Tahitians, reputedly by Paul Gaugin in the Tate Collection, has been downgraded as a fake. The picture's fall from grace has been noted due to its absence in the latest catalogue raisonné by the New York-based Wildenstein Plattner Institute. The decision to exclude the painting was made by the scholars Richard Brettell (who died in July 2020) and Sylvie Crussard, although their precise reasons have not yet been disclosed.
The article quotes the 'Gaugin enthusiast and now a researcher on authenticity of his works' Fabrice Fourmanoir:
Fourmanoir is convinced that the Tate work is a fake. “It is a stereotypical colonial Tahiti scene, whereas Gauguin was looking for more primitive compositions. The poses, dresses and even the European accordion held by the woman show Tahitians ‘corrupted’ by European customs,” he says.
The Tate are said to still accept the work as authentic and will 'keep the work under review'.
