The Kunstmuseum Basel has launched a fresh scientific investigation into a painting long believed to be Paul Gauguin's final self-portrait, *Self-Portrait with Glasses* (1903), after amateur art sleuth Fabrice Fourmanoir raised doubts about its authenticity. Fourmanoir claims the work may have been painted not by Gauguin but by a Vietnamese revolutionary named Ky Dong, a close acquaintance of the artist, after Gauguin's death. The museum, which has owned the painting since 1945, confirmed it is re-examining the work using modern techniques like infrared reflectography and radiology, with results expected by June or July.
This matters because the painting has been accepted as authentic for decades, appearing in the authoritative Wildenstein catalogue raisonné, and its deattribution would challenge a long-standing art historical narrative. The case also highlights the growing influence of amateur sleuths in art authentication, as Fourmanoir has previously identified forgeries in major museum collections. The outcome could affect the painting's value, scholarly consensus on Gauguin's late oeuvre, and the museum's reputation, while underscoring the importance of provenance research and scientific analysis in verifying artworks.