Experts doubt that the Getty head is a Gauguin self-portrait

This sculpture was once considered a self-portrait of Gauguin, but a growing number of experts now agree that the head was in fact made by an unknown Polynesian puppet-maker in 1894. In principle, the Getty has money to burn, so it is not all that vexing that in 2002 they bought this work for 5 million dollars. Yet one is reminded of another scandalous Getty acquisition, which in all likelihood is also a forgery: the marble kouros of the 6th century BC. It can happen to anyone in the museum world, of course, but is an unfortunate pattern really emerging specifically for the J. Paul Getty Museum? 😏