What is authentic?
Something is authentic when the preponderance of knowledgeable people accepts it as such. There are individuals and institutions that confirm an imprimatur on works of art. A work exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art has few questions asked regarding its authenticity. This is a result of reputation and expectation built primarily on scholarship and research. However, many museums do not have the resources or corporate culture to actively pursue any problems of authenticity. This leads to a cycle of regular controversy and relegation of items to the basement of many institutions. This type of reaction rather than a candid and open discussion does not solve the fundamental issues of what is authentic and how we should approach this question.
