MADERSON commands strong price at recent Whytes art auction

Forged Marc Chagall Painting

When British collector Martin Lang submitted one of his paintings to a French committee, he was hoping to find out if it was an authentic work by Marc Chagall.

But not only did the Chagall Committee declare the painting a forgery, it said Lang's painting should be burned under strict French laws that protect artists' works.

Lang, 63, said Monday he was frustrated with the decision but he still hopes the painting will be returned to him.

Describing his shock at the ruling, Lang said: "It was just total disbelief that they would want to destroy it."

"I'm not attacking the committee — I just want them to please reconsider. They could just mark it unoriginal and send it back," he told The Associated Press.

The businessman bought the watercolour of a reclining nude woman for £100,000 (about $182,900 Cdn) in 1992, believing it to be an authentic Chagall dating from around 1909 to 1910.

Lang's son recently called in experts from a BBC show about forgeries to determine if it was real. According to the BBC, the painting surfaced in Russia after the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union and was offered to Lang at a fraction of its value.

The painting was eventually sent to the Chagall Committee in Paris for a final ruling. The committee — run by the Russian-born artist's grandchildren to protect his legacy — ruled it was a fake and said it would be destroyed under French law.

• The Current: Why art forgeries are commanding top level security

Lang said he did not understand why art collectors like him should be punished for forgeries.

"It seems to be dissuading honest people from coming forward to have their art verified. It seems to be the wrong way of doing it," said Lang, a property developer from the northern city of Leeds.

The Chagall Committee declined to discuss the case Monday.

CBC News

Spanish Art Trade

The Spanish art trade is breathing a huge sigh of relief after the government decided last week to slash sales tax on works of art to 10 per cent, down from the previous punishing rate of 21 per cent, introduced in 2012. The welcome news comes three weeks ahead of the opening of Arco, the country’s leading art fair.

The cut was welcomed by Arco director Carlos Urroz: “The 21 per cent tax was terribly hard for Spanish galleries, and it sapped confidence among buyers,” he said. “We hope this change will [give] collectors the will to spend again.”

Spanish deputy prime minister Soraya Sáenz de Santamaria said the government had recognised that the previous rate was a “brake on the competitiveness of the Spanish art market” – with the equivalent tax standing at 10 per cent in France, 6 per cent in Belgium and 7 per cent in Germany.

Georgina Adams FT