Cubist Still Life after Pablo Picasso
Dated in MCAM records as produced in 1910
Bought in 1940, the Cubist Still Life is a reproduction of Picasso‘s work, emulating the cubist style he and Georges Braque are credited for creating. The Museum paid $75 for it, which according to a conversion calculator translates to about $1,293.39 today. To Luke Turner, manager of Exhibitions and Collections, the amount suggests that the Museum might have thought it was an authentic signed print at the time. Turner said that older pieces in the collection are periodically reviewed for the purpose of authentication. Turner noticed that when the Museum started moving catalogue records to a digital database in the early 2000s, the records noted it was a forgery.
However, the MCAM has twelve Picasso originals, three other forged artworks and one 18th century copy of an older painting. The collection is open to the public, which people can see if they make an appointment with Turner.
The MCAM is open to the public and more exhibit information is posted on their website, mcam.mills.edu. You can contact Turner at luturner@mills.edu.
