Wednesday, August 18, 2010

On the Trail of Two Paintings



This CBC video examines the quest to identify the veracity of this Tom Thomson work.

True Thomson or flat-out fake?
Broadcast Date: Dec. 5, 1989

Buying and selling fine art isn't for the faint of heart. Dealer David Mitchell has paid $80,000 for what he believes is a genuine Tom Thomson sketch. He bought it from two elderly sisters who say their mother purchased it in the 1920s. But another art dealer is skeptical, and his doubt means Mitchell has been unable to sell the painting. The CBC's Nancy Wilson delves into the mystery as Mitchell attempts to authenticate the unsigned work.


Source: The Journal, The CBC Digital Archives Website.Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Follow up:
Landscape with Snow and Northern Mist was auctioned by Heffel Fine Arts.
It seems that the questionable reputation of the work had a profound impact on its market worth. Nobody bought the paintings.


Click here.

See also, the Canadian Conservation Authority. Click here.
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