An intriguing voyage through the murky world of connoisseurship, attribution and art authentication in the early 20th century. From Morelli vs. Cavalcaselle, to Berenson, Venturi, Von Bode, Langton Douglas and Duveen, this well-established network of art experts sold their opinions to clients as notable as J.P. Morgan, Isabella Stewart Gardner, Henry Frick, Andrew Mellon and Samuel Kress, to name just a few. But this notable group nearly met its match in the most unnotable of people – Harry and Andrée Hahn of Kansas City, MO, who claimed to own a painting by Leonardo da Vinci. And if the Hahns were not able to convince the art world that their painting, known as La Belle, was authentic, then they were determined to demonstrate that the world of Old Master art was a sham!
An intriguing voyage through the murky world of connoisseurship, attribution and art authentication in the early 20th century.