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Eminent painters have demanded examination of 18 paintings purportedly drawn by Rabindranath Tagore in the wake of a controversy after art experts labelled them as fake.
The paintings, borrowed from a private collector, were displayed at the Government College of Art and Craft in the city, but were withdrawn when doubts were expressed over their genuineness.
Court order
The Calcutta High Court stepped in last Friday by directing that the paintings be submitted to the Indian Museum for examination of their authenticity.
Painter Sunil Das said, “Only a reputed international agency with proven history of art conservation can fix the issue and the government must take the initiative in this regard.”
Mr Das, who claimed that 2,037 of his art works had been copied, said he supported the reported proposal of the Union Culture Secretary, Mr Jahar Sircar, to form an art conservation council comprising art community members to decide the authenticity of major works of art.
He, however, was noncommittal on the composition of such a panel or the attributes of the members “in a country like ours” when asked about it. He referred to a recent auction in London where a set of 12 Tagore paintings were sold for Rs 9.9 crore and wondered why no plagiarism charges were levelled then.
CBI probe sought
Celebrated painter Elena Banik went one step further by demanding a CBI probe into the controversy, if possible, and welcomed the high court's move to hand over the paintings to the Indian Museum.
“A move should also be initiated by the Centre to get the paintings examined by international art houses like Sotheby's and Christie's who employ experts to examine paintings,” he said.
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