Musée d’Art Céret bequeathed exceptional collection of paintings

A passionate collector has recently bequeathed her impressive collection of paintings to the Musée d’Art Moderne in Céret.

These several hundred works, painted by local artists or artists visiting the region, are an invaluable addition not only to the museum, but also to the region’s cultural heritage.

Following the shocking discovery that over half of the artwork displayed in The Musée Terrus in Elne was fake, the latest good news comes with more than a hint a caution. Each one of the paintings will be closely scrutinized by experts before going on public display.

Nathalie Gallissot, curator at the Musée d’Art Moderne, explains that, as a recongised National Gallery, this process of authentication is par for the course. “No painting can be exhibited without passing before an expert commission, known as the acquisition commission”.

Catching a glimpse of this exceptional donation might not be on the agenda for a long while. Gone are the days when a self-proclaimed expert could judge whether or not they could “sense the hand of the master” in the brushwork.

Today, knowledge is but a cog in the wheel: paintings must also undergo meticulous technological inspection, which is much trickier to dupe. Experts have a battery of arsenal at their finger tips including carbon dating, X-ray diffraction and atomic absorption spectrophotometry, to name but a few!

For the moment then, we shall just have to cross our fingers and wait and see. Luckily, there’s plenty of other great artwork on display in the meantime. Find out more about the current exhibitions here.