Three Turner paintings recognized as authentic

Three oil paintings by J. M. W. Turner, “The Beacon Light”, “Off Margate” and “Margate Jetty”, considered fake for more than half a century, were recognized as genuine works of the artist.

The paintings appeared in the collection of the National Museum of Wales (National Museum Wales) in 1951. Now they will be on display in Cardiff.

“That’s great,” says Beth McIntyre, curator of prints and drawings at the National Museum. “This is one of those things that you always want to happen.”

Ms. McIntyre said that she first noticed the paintings more than ten years ago when she entered the museum. “Visually, I could never understand why they were considered fake,” she said.

In total, the museum acquired seven Turner paintings. “Off Margate” and “Margate Jetty” were immediately recognized as fakes, and about “The Beacon Light” experts said that this picture was started by Turner, but completed by another artist. The canvases were examined three times, in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. A new study was conducted using modern methods of validation, using x-ray and infrared radiation and analysis of pigment on the canvases. As a result, even those experts who previously considered the paintings to be fakes changed their minds.

The cost of paintings has skyrocketed, but Ms. MacIntyre believes that they will never be sold. “They are part of the national collection, people should be able to see them,” she said.

All seven Turner paintings bequeathed to the gallery will be on display from October 2.

A Londoner by birth, Joseph Mallord William Turner, who became known as the "artist of the world," died in 1851.

In July 2010, his painting “Flint Castle in north Wales” was sold at auction for $ 541,250.

Anna Sidorova