[MSN] Korea. The authenticity of a painting, sold at an auction for the highest price ever in the country, has been called into question. The painting faces a reappraisal

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Park Soo-keun Painting Worth Fortune or Fake?

Seen is the oil painting on canvas, titled "A Wash Place," by the late Park
Soo-keun:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/01/113_16534.html 

By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter

The authenticity of a painting, sold at an auction for the highest price
ever in the country, has been called into question. The painting faces a
reappraisal.

The painting, titled ``A Wash Place,'' by the late Park Soo-keun was sold
for 4.52 billion won to a domestic collector in May, 2006. An art magazine
Artrade first raised the question of authenticity of the oil work by the
nation's famous painter.

The magazine claimed that the work is different from the original recorded
in Park's Collection published in 1995.

In the comparison, the magazine argued that the auctioned painting featuring
women washing clothes in a lake, has different color tones and depths to
those of the painting printed in its edition.

But the Seoul Auction strongly denounced the allegation, citing that it was
from an American collector who received the work directly from the late
artist and kept it for about 50 years.

The auction also argued that the painting was properly examined by the
artist's remaining family members as well as art experts before it was sold
to a Korean artwork collector last May. It added that it will take legal
steps if necessary as well as have the work appraised by other art experts
again.

But regarding the move, the magazine demanded an organization of academic
figures be formed to examine the work rather than a group of gallery
representatives.

The dispute came as a huge shock as it followed the largest painting forgery
scandal, in which the prosecution had previously found a number of forged
paintings of the artist in the house of a collector.

Prosecutors had seized some 2,800 forged paintings of nationally acclaimed
painters ― including Park and Lee Joong-seop, five of which were sold at an
art auction for 919 million won. It took almost three years for the
investigation to prove they were all forged.

e3dward at koreatimes.co.kr

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/