New tools are making it easier to authenticate paintings
And spot forgeries. Some in the art world are reluctant to embrace them
FOR ART historians trying to tell the fake from the real, the Russian avant-garde presents unique challenges. As Soviet rule took hold, adventurous works were spirited abroad and snapped up by collectors. Amid the chaos, forgers abounded. Tracing the early history of a Russian modernist painting—a traditionally genteel business known as provenance study—is tricky. But laboratory tests can help.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Computer says no”
From the January 9th 2021 edition
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