Swiss Firm Declares Van Eyck Paintings Likely Forgeries
Art Recognition, a Swiss firm, has concluded that two paintings of Saint Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata, long attributed to Jan van Eyck, are likely forgeries, with the Philadelphia Museum of Art version rated 91% negative and the Turin Royal Museums version 86% negative for Van Eyck's brushstrokes. This analysis has sparked a dispute with art historians, including Dr. Carina Popovici, CEO of Art Recognition, and Till-Holger Borchert, a leading Van Eyck scholar, who suggest the works may have originated from Van Eyck's workshop rather than being directly painted by him.
Ukraine's Venice Biennale Pavilion Features 'Origami Deer' Sculpture
Ukraine's pavilion at the Venice Biennale will feature a suspended sculpture titled "Origami Deer," created by artist Schanna Kadyrowa. The sculpture, which resembles a paper-folded deer, was salvaged from a park in the eastern Donetsk region and transported across the country in 2024 to protect it from destruction amid the ongoing war. The installation, titled "Sicherheitsgarantien," will serve as a metaphor for Ukraine's precarious situation and references the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which promised security guarantees to Ukraine in exchange for its nuclear disarmament.
