S. Korean museum rejects French forgery allegations

SEOUL, Nov. 4 (Yonhap) — A South Korean museum on Friday rejected the results of a French inspection that concluded one of its most famed artworks is fake.
The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) argued in a statement that the French art experts Lumiere Technology drew the conclusion based on a partial inspection of the painting “Beautiful Woman” by South Korean artist Chun Kyung-ja.
“The results of the French inspection team’s inspection are not based on an overall appraisal but simply an exaggeration of a partial conclusion,” the museum said.
The statement came in response to Lumiere Technology’s submission of its inspection results to the prosecution.
MMCA expressed “deep regret,” saying the results were “unilaterally” disclosed at a time when the prosecution is still conducting a separate investigation into the painting’s authenticity.
It also argued that the French inspection undermined its own credibility by claiming “Beautiful Woman” was plagiarized from another painting done by Chun in 1981. MMCA said it obtained “Beautiful Woman” in April 1980.
Chun, who died in August last year, is one of the country’s greatest painters. She is well known for her soulful and colorful portraits of women in flowers.
Before her death, she maintained that the painting in question wasn’t hers, but the museum insisted it was genuine.

Chun Kyung-ja’s “Beautiful Woman”