[MSN] Australia. The National Gallery of Victoria says it will continue to display Head of a Man despite the revelation that the painting is not by legendary impressionist Vincent Van Gogh, as thought for more than 60 years.

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NGV's 'Van Gogh' a fake
NGV director Gerard Vaughan with a reproduction of Head of Man by Van Gogh
last year, while the 'real' painting was in Amsterdam undergoing tests to
confirm its authenticity.
Photo: John Woudstra:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/ngvs-van-gogh-a-fake/2007/08/03/11856
48104036.html#

August 3, 2007 - 1:35PM

The National Gallery of Victoria says it will continue to display Head of a
Man despite the revelation that the painting is not by legendary
impressionist Vincent Van Gogh, as thought for more than 60 years.

The gallery today announced the results of authentication tests of the work
Head of a Man, which British art experts have called a fake.

"The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam believes the painting is not by Vincent
Van Gogh," the Gallery said in a statement released this morning.

"The museum concludes that it is not a forgery, but rather is by an as yet
unidentified contemporary of Van Gogh."

"The Van Gogh Museum based its findings on perceived stylistic differences
between the NGV's painting and other portraits and self portraits by Van
Gogh from around the mid to late-1880s."

The work was originally thought to have been painted in Paris in 1886.

It was purchased in 1940 by the Felton bequest for 2196 pounds sterling and
gifted to the NGV, who value it at $5 million.

The gallery said there would be a "downwards adjustment" in the painting's
value when the NGV revalues its collection next year.

Painting 'offbeat'

NGV director Dr Gerard Vaughan said he accepted the Van Gogh Museum's
findings.

He acknowledged that the painting had always been regarded as "offbeat" and
an "oddity" and difficult to slot into the accepted chronological
development of Van Gogh's style.

Dr Vaughan said naturally the gallery was disappointed, but "reattribution"
was part of the normal work of a public gallery.

"The reattribution of paintings is part of the daily life in any major
gallery with a large and complex collection.

"We regularly change the labels to reflect new research and scholarly
opinion."

Still on show

The gallery has confirmed that it will continue to display the painting.

"There is still much to be learned and understood about this work," their
statement reads.

"It remains a fine and interesting painting."

Dr Vaughan said neither the Van Gogh Museum nor the NGV knew who had painted
the work.

"It is possible that one day evidence will emerge which will help us
identify this interesting artist."

Amsterdam's Van Gough Museum said in its report that there were no
indications that the painter belonged to the artists's circle of
acquaintances.


'Unusual' style

The authenticity of the 33 centimetre x 40 centimetre work was called into
question last year while it was on loan to Edinburgh's Dean Gallery.

Britain's Sunday Times newspaper quoted several art critics and historians
who noted that it was the only horizontal portrait attributed to the Dutch
master, that it was not mentioned in any of the artist's letters, and that
it was painted on canvas and mounted on a panel, which was unusual for Van
Gogh.

At the time, Dr Vaughan said the gallery stood by its belief that the work
was a Van Gogh.

"The National Gallery of Victoria stands by the veracity of its assessment
of the painting, which has been supported by Van Gogh experts for many
years," Dr Vaughan said.

But Dr Vaughan said he welcomed the inquiry and arranged for the work to be
sent to Amsterdam's Van Gogh museum for analysis, including X-rays and the
study of microscopic paint samples as well as "old-fashioned
connoisseurship".

He said he was confident the investigation would resolve the issue.

"There is no higher court of appeal and we will accept whatever the verdict
finds," he said last year.

The painting remains in Amsterdam but an NGV spokeswoman said it was
expected to be returned to Melbourne soon.

Australia's only other Van Gogh work, Head of a Peasant with Cap, is at the
Art Gallery of NSW.

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