Fake or Fortune? Season 10 - Episode 03 :: SISLEY

Fiona Bruce, Philip Mould and the team help Americans Kim and Chuck, who believe their landscape painting is by one of the founders of Impressionism, Alfred Sisley, building a case to prove its authenticity. Kim and Chuck bought the work at auction near Chicago and believe it to be genuine. However, the painting was turned down nearly 10 years ago by the authentication committee, so the team will have to find new evidence to persuade them to change their mind.

[lalaLAX]

I wish they would include more explanation on why the committee reached their decision.

[WyeExplorer]

Now that's the committees ego. Ego's do exist and people of stature do not like to be humbled. I reckon it's a Sisley. The evidence was good.

[katharinatrub]

Yeah but, since Siseley wasn't known at his Lifetime, had " ..had died in poverty", why would some Painter want to forge his signature?

[StarSwarm.]

As soon as I heard it was a Parisian committee, I knew they wouldn’t change their mind. They never do. Full of ego. It’s clearly a Sisley and not sure if anyone else noticed but the committee gave zero reasons for their decision. Because their reason is “just cause”.

[debl]

These committees that judge authenticity do not want their images tainted, and so most will not deem an earlier decision to have been incorrect.

[elenaoltrop]

Of course it’s SISLEY❗️ and who are the judges? Such a super-secret organization in Paris raises too many questions for itself❗️

[CallieMasters]

Any organization that has the ability to limit the number of verified works and therefore influence their value is going to always be hesitant to add to the catalog. They're not impartial, plus they never like to correct themselves. This painting needs to be resubmitted in about 10-20 years for another shot.

[ellenmadsen]

I’m an art historian and I think the Sisley committee is wrong.

[philmorton]

Well this couple is already a head, they purchased it at a very reasonable price and the painting is beautiful in its own glory.

[golden]

Did anyone notice that the letter from the Commission said it was "oil on Canvas" ??? The painting is on panel - wood....

[JCO]

The problem with all the uncertain paintings is that there have been so many fakes produced you need solid provenance from creation to now to be certain. That missing 32 years doomed it.

[EGChurchofChrist]

I love Sisley. Interested in how they go about the process of determining authenticity 😊

[BB-oets]

The best part for me is to read the comments on the final decision when the decision is overturned by so-called committee. 💃💃

[lususlove]

I wouldn’t be surprised if many of the original Sisley paintings out there are actually fakes.

[kilcar]

When self styled " experts" get it wrong, again and again, why do they retain their title? I wonder what real treasures that have been rejected are languishing again in the thrift store from whence they came?

[jackseward]

I was surprised they did not use special imagry to try and confirm that there was NO overpainted signature as in the forgery.

[ThomasConrad-fp]

Sisley's works, like those of Pizarro, are so easy for an artist to 'reproduce', but one feels the Commission crowd were 'picking hairs' in this old landscape that bore the original stamps from pre-war Germany. 'Experts' differ, and artists die!

[jennrosefair]

Eek. I guess I'm the only one who agrees with the panel on this one. I've been horrified at the outcome of some of these episodes that seemed like a slam dunk, but i didn't feel that way on this one.

[kathrynhurst]

Makes you not want to pay more than $50 bucks for any painting.

[VirtuousPraiseworthy]

Don't you love Antonia and Aviva?