The attribution of paintings by K.A. Korovin as an example of museums research cooperation

Abstract

The creative heritage of K.A. Korovin is included in the group of works by artists most often falsified, thus rendering the issue of determining the authenticity of his works a pertinent one for academic study. Globalization processes and a number of other factors that weaken signs of individuality in Russian society undoubtedly reflect on contemporary art. However, the artistic culture, along with its existing forms of anonymity, continues to embrace the notion of authorship. Furthermore, it enables one to trace the extent to which matters that concerned the artist in their era are significant in the present. Illegal actions within the art culture become a barrier to the viewer's interaction with authentic works. Such actions include the falsification of authorship. The creative legacy of K.A. Korovin is particularly susceptible to falsification, rendering the authentication of his works a matter of significant importance. The article presents the results of research conducted by museums cooperation, focusing on authentic works of the painter to determine stable artistic techniques, as well as three paintings that are represented as works by K.A. Korovin. The main method employed was art historical expertise using physical and chemical analyses. The group of museums cooperation comprised specialists from the Ilya Repin Center for Art Expertise, the Research Laboratory of the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, and the Omsk Regional Museum of Fine Arts named after M.A. Vrubel. During the course of the research, the composition of the paint pastes and ground of three original works by K.A. Korovin was determined, and three counterfeit paintings were identified. The conclusions of the study contributed to the expansion of the database of technological data on the artworks of K.A. Korovin, providing new insights and enhancing the existing knowledge about the artist's creative method.