VOA文化艺术2024--Fake Picassos Create Legal Trouble for Australian Museum

 

An 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.

Now 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.

An unusual museum

The 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.

The story began in 2020, when Kaechele created a women-only area, called the "Ladies Lounge," for visitors to enjoy being only with women.

The so-called Ladies Lounge offered high tea, massages² and champagne³ served by men. It was open to anyone who identified as a woman.

The lounge was supposed to display "the most important artworks in the world," Kaechele wrote, in order for men "to feel as excluded as possible."

Legal action

But in March, the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative⁴ 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.

Tribunal 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.

Kaechele 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."

Adding a toilet

Rather 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.

International 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.

However, the Guardian⁵ news agency reported last week that it asked Kaechele about the work. That led to her admission about making the paintings herself.

Words in This Story

gallery - n. a room or building in which people look at paintings

bathroom - n. a room in a public place with a toilet and sink

curator - n. a person who is in charge of the things in a museum, zoo, or the like

exhibition - n. an event at which objects (such as works of art) are put out in a public space for people to look at

lounge - n. a comfortable room for relaxing in a public building

massage¹ - n. the action of rubbing or pressing someone's body in a way that helps muscles to relax or reduces pain in muscles and joints⁶

tribunal - n. a kind of court that has authority in a specific area

disadvantage - n. loss, damage, or harm

spectacular - adj. causing wonder and admiration⁷; very impressive

toilet - n. a large bowl attached to a pipe that is used for getting rid of bodily waste

1 massage   

n.按摩，揉；vt.按摩，揉，美化，奉承，篡改数据

参考例句：

• He is really quite skilled in doing massage.他的按摩技术确实不错。
• Massage helps relieve the tension in one's muscles.按摩可使僵硬的肌肉松弛。

2 massages   

按摩，推拿( massage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At present the doctor is giving him daily massages to help restore the function of his limbs. 目前医生每天在给他按摩，帮助他恢复腿臂的功能。
• His father massages his nose and chin. 他爸爸揉了揉鼻子和下巴。

3 champagne   

n.香槟酒；微黄色

参考例句：

• There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
• They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。

4 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

5 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

6 joints   

接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）

参考例句：

• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。

7 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。