Were Malevich paintings worth £100m really found under pensioner’s bed?

Avant-Garde artist Kazimir Malevich attributed to Malevich before the previously unknown oil paint paint is exhibited in a public museum in Bucharest. If proven, they may be authentic, worth £ 100 million, but a senior scholar says the story behind their origins is problematic.

The museum, which exhibits them now, refuses to tell me if the works are real.

Kazimir Malevich, born in Ukraine, is considered one of the most influential 20th century artists. In the art market, his paintings are more valuable than other Ukrainian or Russian artists, and a study sells a record of $ 85 million (£ 63 million) in 2018.

However, during a home movement in 2023, according to Yaniv Cohen, an Israeli businessman based in Bucharest and the owner of the works, Israeli retired Eva Levando was discovered under the bed of three Malavich.

The retired was the grandmother of Mr. Cohen’s wife and gave him works.

The paintings are exhibited until the end of August at the Green and Black Rectangle (1918), Cubofuturist Composition (1912–13) and Red Square and Green Triangle (1915–16) until the end of August. The show is supported by Mr. Cohen’s Dental Clinic.

Nevertheless, the art world continues to be skeptical. An American scholar Constantine Akinsha, a Ukrainian scholar, said the records that prove their dates and follow them to Malavich’s studio.

“Now the three works exhibited in Bucharest have not been documented, photographed or shown during the life of the artist,” the art historian and curator, who wrote the Guide Guide Guide Guide Guide Guide Guide Research Guide. He said.

Eva Levando inherited paintings from her father, an accountant in Odessa in the Soviet Ukraine. Allegedly bought one of them and bought the other two as payment for their services. The absence of records to support this story was explained by the pressure of modernist art, the Stalin period told Mr. Cohen to the BBC.

According to Mr. Cohen, Mrs. Levando emigrated to Israel in 1990.

“Malevich’s works circulating in Russian or Ukraine art markets in the late 1920s and early 1930s. He said.

However, to support his claim, Yaniv Cohen presented certificates from Kyiv art historian Dmytro Horbachov, who described his works as “first -class examples” of Malavich’s style. This conclusion makes the style and technique of the tables by analyzing. However, Dmytro Horbachov had previously confirmed controversial works, including a picture. Reportedly removed from the Albertina Museum of Vienna After doubts about originality.

He claims to be a consultant to art historian Sotheby and Christie’s. However, a spokesman said to the BBC, “Sotheby does not work as a consultant and never work.” Christie’s also rejects any official association.

Dmytro Horbachov did not respond to a request request.

Yaniv Cohen says he supports the claim of technical analysis.

The BBC reviewed reports about all three works produced by the German Laboratory of Institut D’Ar Conservation in Paris and Elisabeth Jägers and Erhard Jägers.

While the pigments and other elements are released throughout Malavich’s life, reports stop claiming that the works have been painted by the artist.

Previously, reports from these two laboratories were accompanied by two tables that were proven to be fraud in the anatomy of the fake collection, a BBC documentary, a BBC documentary. When presented with our findings, Erhard Jägers told BBC that technical analysis cannot prove the reality of a picture.

The French Laboratory said that the reports he produced were “evidence of originality” and that Malavich Works never gave a certificate of originality.

Despite Dmytro Horbachov, who thinks that the pictures are authentic, Yaniv Cohen insists that he is not interested in selling pictures that predicts that he could be worth $ 160m-190 million (£ 118-140 million).

However, the E -mails seen by the BBC were offered as a guarantee for the loan. The businessman refused to connect with this proposal, saying that he had no plan to make money from the pictures and that he was financially secure thanks to crypto currency investments.

Mr. Cohen, who is not satisfied with the questions of BBC, said, “threatened to do it [BBC journalists] disappeared “and claimed that he could hack his communication.

After questioning the provence of the paintings, Konstantin Akinsha, the Romanian National Museum of Contemporary Art (Mnac) removed himself from paintings.

In a statement, Mnac The exhibition is called He added that he does not have a “curatoric experiment” and “expertise in verification of these special jobs”.

The museum said that it is based on the documents provided by Mr. Cohen and that the inclusion of his paintings should not be interpreted as the institutional verification of his authorship or originality “.

Konstantin Akinsha, Malevich and other artists of the period known by the controversial work cases only “the tip of the iceberg,” “Thousands of suspects continue to wander today.”

The Russian and Ukraine Modernist Art Market, the Russian painting consultant of Sotheby’s, was full of works that were “clearly problematic”.

“Good avant -garde pictures don’t come out of any place – they come with an obvious quality, documented provence and ideal exhibition history.”

Yaniv Cohen did not comment on the three works.