Paul Gauguin's final self portrait-previously decried as fake-is authentic, museum concludes

"Paul Gauguin's last self-portrait-recently argued to be a fake-is authentic, according to new research at the Kunstmuseum Basel. However, part of the face was retouched after the artist's death. The museum's extensive investigation began after the Gauguin researcher Fabrice Fourmanoir alleged, in May, that the picture was painted in 1916, 13 years after Gauguin's death. He believes that this was done by Nguyen Van Cam (also known as Ky-Dong), a Vietnamese friend of the artist on the Marquesas island of Hiva Oa."

"This retouching, which is visible under ultraviolet light, was found on the forehead, eyes, nose, chin beard and throat. In regards to the dating of the retouching, the museum's conservators found the presence of titanium white pigment in the overpainted areas, including above the left eye. This pigment was not available until 1918, so the overpainting must have been done after that. The retouching can be seen in a 1926 photograph, which means it was completed by then."

"In a statement, the Kunstmuseum Basel says that the Gauguin attribution "remains valid", although their technical analysis "revealed that certain areas of the face were... retouched" after his death. Although the museum's statement does not discuss the implications of the findings, its self-portrait is particularly significant in Gauguin's oeuvre, since it has determined how we perceive the artist in his final year. It shows Gauguin appearing weak and vulnerable, unlike the brash and confident face of his earlier self-portraits."

Kunstmuseum Basel's investigation upholds the attribution of Paul Gauguin's last self-portrait as authentic while identifying posthumous retouching to portions of the face. Ultraviolet analysis revealed overpaint on the forehead, eyes, nose, chin, beard and throat. Conservators detected titanium white pigment in the overpainted areas, a pigment not commercially available until 1918, and the retouching appears in a 1926 photograph, establishing the overpainting postdates 1918 and predates 1926. A prior claim that the painting was created in 1916 by Nguyen Van Cam is rejected, though assistance from him in some work on the portrait is considered possible.

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