Nuclear explosions could be key to spotting fake paintings
28.06.2008 21:03
Arts
- Source: cbc.ca
 Nuclear explosions, like this U.S. military test in the Marshall Islands in 1946, released isotopes into the environment, permeating the soil and ending up in natural oils used to make paint. (Associated Press)A Russian curator says she's developed a foolproof method of determining whether a piece of art was made before or after 1945 as a way of sniffing out fake paintings. Elena Basner told The Art Newspaper that she has developed a method in collaboration with Russian scientists based on the idea that man-made nuclear explosions from the 1940s to 1960s released isotopes into the environment. These isotopes, Caesium-137 and Strontium-90, permeated the earth's oil and plant life and ended up in works of art made in the post-war era because natural oils, usually flax/linseed, were used as binding agents for paints. "I wanted to find something ironclad … that couldn't be disputed, and this led me to approach scientists for ideas," said Basner. More than 500 nuclear explosions since 1945Basner, who now works as a consultant, says she developed the testing technique while working as curator of 20th-century art at the Russian Museum from 1978 to 2003. "The number of avant-garde fakes out there today is unbelievable, probably more than the number of genuine works," says Basner. She says she needed to authenticate Russian works dating from 1900 to 1930 and that's what led her and the scientists to examine the nuclear isotope idea. The first nuclear explosion took place in July 1945 in the U.S. and from then until 1963 more than 500 were carried out by various countries. Flax fields absorbed the isotopes from nuclear fallout, resulting in traces of the isotopes in natural oils used in paints. At the very least works known to have been produced prior to 1945 can be authenticated because they won't have any traces of the two isotopes. Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKMore Art & Design HeadlinesNuclear explosions could be key to spotting fake paintingsA Russian curator says she's developed a foolproof method of determining whether a piece of art was made before or after 1945 in order to sniff out fake paintings. Frenchman in Florida charged in Monet, Sisley art heistU.S. prosecutors have charged a French man living in Florida in connection with an audacious art theft of paintings by Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley and Jan Brueghel. Montreal artist crams disco into a boxMontreal artist Adad Hannah calls his latest project a "disco in a box."Vancouver show looks back at performance artist's dark humourAn exhibit of Rebecca Belmore's work at the Vancouver Art Gallery is the first large-scale survey for this Anishinabe artist.Ethiopian cultural officials nix nude photography exhibitAn exhibit billed as Ethiopia's first to feature nude photography has been scuttled by cultural officials, according to the photographer behind the images. More Arts HeadlinesNuclear explosions could be key to spotting fake paintingsA Russian curator says she's developed a foolproof method of determining whether a piece of art was made before or after 1945 in order to sniff out fake paintings. Alberta considers tax credits for film productionAlberta's minister of culture and community spirit says he's working on a plan to strengthen the province's film and television industry, including the possibility of tax credits. Can you tango the blues away?Researchers in Australia say tango may be one solution in helping people battle depression. I went to rehab for meds: Steven TylerAerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has now admitted that he went into rehab in May to fight a dependency on pain and sleep medication. Dylan criticized for concert in Spanish parkThere's a lot of criticism blowing in the wind in Spain, aimed at singer Bob Dylan because of a concert he's giving at a park in the countryside, west of Madrid. Arts FeaturesStraight but not narrowTen heterosexual stars who have become gay iconsRunning with the packYour handy guide to the Wolf Parade networkShe raaah!Women are doing it for themselves in the world of heavy metalBy George, he did itSeven reasons to miss comedian George CarlinGeorge Carlin: 1937-2008Remembering the trailblazing stand-up comic in picturesMore than wordsThe Calabash festival is a slice of literary paradisePeople who read this also read …
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