French museums discovers forgeries

A museum in the south of France dedicated to works by painter Etienne Terrus, made the discovery that 82 of the 140 paintings, were not by the artist but later copies. The deception was bought to their attention when a visiting historian pointed out that some of the structures in the paintings were built after the artist died in 1922. The museum collection which was built up over a twenty year period and the local mayor Yves Bariol has apologised to all those who have visited the museum in the past. The local police have said the discovery could affect other regional artist collections.

An art gallery in France has discovered that half of its collection is fake.

The Terrus museum in Elne France, dedicated to the works of Étienne Terrus, found 82 works from its collection had been incorrectly attributed to the artist.

The mayor of the Pyrenees town called the situation "a disaster".



A French museum dedicated to the works of painter Etienne Terrus has discovered a significant number of paintings thought to be his were fakes.

The Terrus museum in Elne, in the south of France, discovered 82 works from its collection had been incorrectly attributed to the artist.

According to the BBC, more than half of the collection was fake - dwindling in value from their original price of £140,000.

Staff at the museum said they were not aware of the forgeries until a visiting art historian informed them.

Musée Terrus in Elne, France. Google Maps

The collection of paintings, drawings and watercolours was built over a two-decade period. The shocking news announced on Friday as the museum opened following a renovation.

In an interview on Friday, Yves Bariol, mayor of the Pyrenees town, called the situation "a disaster" and apologised to those who had previously visited the museum.

Local police are investigating the case, which they say could affect other regional artists.

Terrus was born in 1857 and died in 1922 in Elne. He was a close friend of the painter Henri Matisse.