The Louvre Embroiled in Controversy Over Acquisition

The Louvre's purchase of a set of drawings "attributed to Jean-Honoré Fragonard" from dealer Marty de Cambiaire, associated with Jean-Luc Baroni, for a half-million euros is "incomprehensible" for many, at the very least intriguing for art historians. It is the talk of curators and connoisseurs of French art around the world. Embarrassed, the Louvre waited four months to make the announcement. The museum concluded the purchase in February, after having to overcome unaccustomed opposition within the Conseil artistique des musées nationaux (Artistic Council of National Museums). The deliberations took place behind closed doors, but at least two prominent figures raised strong objections, expressing scepticism about the attribution. The €900,000 offer put forth by Xavier Salmon for the Louvre was refused. Backed by Jean-Luc Martinez, the head of the drawings department persisted, saying that Pierre Rosenberg,…