Fake Picassos Create Legal Trouble for Australian Museum
2024-07-16
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1An art gallery in the Australian state of Tasmania presented three paintings as if they were works by the famed painter, Pablo Picasso.
2At first, the museum limited viewers to women.
3When that brought legal action against the museum, they moved the paintings to a women's bathroom.
4Now it is clear people were reacting strongly to artworks that were not really by Picasso.
5Nor were other paintings said to be by other famed artists.
6The truth came out last week when the curator of the women-only show admitted she had painted them herself.
7The admission came after a reporter and the Picasso Administration in France questioned her about the paintings.
8The show's curator is Kirsha Kaechele.
9She admitted last week that she had painted the works.
10She wrote a blog post on the website of Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art (MONA).
11The museum is known in Australia for its strange exhibitions and events.
12The story began in 2020, when Kaechele created a women-only area, called the "Ladies Lounge," for visitors to enjoy being only with women.
13The so-called Ladies Lounge offered high tea, massages and champagne served by men.
14It was open to anyone who identified as a woman.
15The lounge was supposed to display "the most important artworks in the world," Kaechele wrote, in order for men "to feel as excluded as possible."
16But in March, the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal ordered MONA to stop denying men the right to enter the Ladies Lounge.
17The order came after a male visitor became angry that he could not enter the space in 2023.
18Tribunal Deputy President Richard Grueber wrote in his decision that he found the exhibition to be discriminatory.
19He ruled that the man had suffered a disadvantage, in part because the artworks in the Ladies Lounge were so valuable.
20Kaechele described the artworks to the tribunal as "a carefully curated selection of paintings by the world's leading artists, including two paintings that spectacularly demonstrate Picasso's genius."
21Rather than admit men to the exhibit, Kaechele added a working toilet to the space, turning it into a women's bathroom.
22This gave the gallery a legal reason to deny entry to men.
23International news organizations reported on the change to the exhibit earlier this year.
24They did not question that a gallery would hang Picasso paintings in a public bathroom.
25However, the Guardian news agency reported last week that it asked Kaechele about the work.
26That led to her admission about making the paintings herself.
27I'm Jill Robbins.
1An art gallery in the Australian state of Tasmania presented three paintings as if they were works by the famed painter, Pablo Picasso. At first, the museum limited viewers to women. When that brought legal action against the museum, they moved the paintings to a women's bathroom. 2Now it is clear people were reacting strongly to artworks that were not really by Picasso. Nor were other paintings said to be by other famed artists. The truth came out last week when the curator of the women-only show admitted she had painted them herself. The admission came after a reporter and the Picasso Administration in France questioned her about the paintings. 3An unusual museum 4The show's curator is Kirsha Kaechele. She admitted last week that she had painted the works. She wrote a blog post on the website of Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). The museum is known in Australia for its strange exhibitions and events. 5The story began in 2020, when Kaechele created a women-only area, called the "Ladies Lounge," for visitors to enjoy being only with women. 6The so-called Ladies Lounge offered high tea, massages and champagne served by men. It was open to anyone who identified as a woman. 7The lounge was supposed to display "the most important artworks in the world," Kaechele wrote, in order for men "to feel as excluded as possible." 8Legal action 9But in March, the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal ordered MONA to stop denying men the right to enter the Ladies Lounge. The order came after a male visitor became angry that he could not enter the space in 2023. 10Tribunal Deputy President Richard Grueber wrote in his decision that he found the exhibition to be discriminatory. He ruled that the man had suffered a disadvantage, in part because the artworks in the Ladies Lounge were so valuable. 11Kaechele described the artworks to the tribunal as "a carefully curated selection of paintings by the world's leading artists, including two paintings that spectacularly demonstrate Picasso's genius." 12Adding a toilet 13Rather than admit men to the exhibit, Kaechele added a working toilet to the space, turning it into a women's bathroom. This gave the gallery a legal reason to deny entry to men. 14International news organizations reported on the change to the exhibit earlier this year. They did not question that a gallery would hang Picasso paintings in a public bathroom. 15However, the Guardian news agency reported last week that it asked Kaechele about the work. That led to her admission about making the paintings herself. 16I'm Jill Robbins. 17Charlotte Graham-McLay reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. 18_____________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20gallery - n. a room or building in which people look at paintings 21bathroom - n. a room in a public place with a toilet and sink 22curator - n. a person who is in charge of the things in a museum, zoo, or the like 23exhibition - n. an event at which objects (such as works of art) are put out in a public space for people to look at 24lounge - n. a comfortable room for relaxing in a public building 25massage - n. the action of rubbing or pressing someone's body in a way that helps muscles to relax or reduces pain in muscles and joints 26tribunal - n. a kind of court that has authority in a specific area 27disadvantage - n. loss, damage, or harm 28spectacular - adj. causing wonder and admiration; very impressive 29toilet - n. a large bowl attached to a pipe that is used for getting rid of bodily waste 30What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.