Hobart’s provocative Mona museum appears to have been given a pass by the Picasso estate, following admissions that “Picassos” displayed in the museum had been deliberately faked for artistic purposes by Kirsha Kaechele, a curator, artist and the wife of Mona‘s owner David Walsh.
Responding to a request for comment from The Art Newspaper, the Succession Picasso sent a statement from legal affairs head Claudia Andrieu saying it regretted the situation but would take no action.
“The Succession Picasso has approached Mona over its exhibition of a number of works by Picasso whose authenticity appeared to be doubtful to us,” the statement said, in French.
“Mona immediately reacted, expressing their regrets and declaring themselves ready to remove these paintings from view. We are aware of Kirsha Kaechele’s statement, explaining her artistic mistake and bearing witness to her attachment to Picasso whose work she admires.
“Although we can do nothing but regret this situation and the current exhibition, we consider from our side that this case is closed from here on in. We don’t hold it against either the museum itself or the artist because the drive to create an artwork sometimes makes people forget that there exist rights which protect the interest of authors, which apply to everyone.
“Mistakes are also part of learning and we have no doubt that Mona will make sure to call on authors when necessary in the future.”
Kaechele is an artist and curator whose installation artwork, the Ladies Lounge, was at the centre of a court case after a male visitor to Mona complained that, because of his gender, he was excluded from entering the lounge.
Kaechele defended the case but lost. She subsequently moved the Ladies Lounge, including the “Picassos”, into the women’s toilet at Mona, effectively preventing men from entering.
On July 10 Kaechele posted on Mona’s blog, writing: “At this moment, three priceless works of art hang in the women’s toilets at Mona. How did we end up here? Allow me to explain—I have no choice but to explain. From stage right a journalist beckons—she’s onto me! And from stage left, a letter has arrived—from the Picasso Administration. ‘Would you be so kind as to explain..?’ The French are always so impeccably mannered.”
Kaechele said that to drive men “as crazy as possible”, she filled the Ladies Lounge with objects that purported to be valuable. When it came to the paintings, “I knew they had to be ‘Picassos’”.
She said that she made the artworks with her own hands, aided by her manicurist’s niece. “I told no one,” she wrote. “I waited for weeks. Nothing happened. I was sure it would blow up. But it didn’t.”
Now that the whole matter is out in the open, Kaechele concluded her post with a mea culpa: “To the Picasso Administration: Je suis très très désolé de vous avoir causé ce problème. Avec un grand respect pour le plus grand artist…” (”I am very very sorry to have caused you this problem. With great respect for the greatest artist.”)