‘Kirsha seems to like pranks’: Time will tell future of Mona’s trio of Picasso fakes

“If there are rules for museums, Mona does not always play by them.” Only time will tell what will become of the three fake Picasso paintings at Mona, or whether any action will be taken. VOTE ON IT >>

Only time will tell what will become of the three fake Pablo Picasso paintings at Mona – or whether any action will be taken by those with sole authority over the Spanish master’s works.

Meanwhile, Hobart and the art communities are divided over the action taken by Mona’s first lady Kirsha Kaechele: was it just a prank, or something more – a forgery?

This week, following queries from the Picasso Administration in Paris and Guardian Australia, Kaechele admitted she painted three fake Picasso paintings to hang in the museum’s female-only Ladies Lounge.

Hobart art critic Andrew Harper said it was unclear whether the museum would face consequences, or whether the fake paintings would damage its brand.

“Kirsha seems to like pranks,” he said.

“Kirsha is framing it as a prank, and it appears not everyone at Mona knew this.”

Mr Harper said while it could be argued the fakes were a commentary on the value of art or authenticity, he said such comments might be “possibly after the fact”.

Artist and Mona curator Kirsha Kaechele has admitted she has faked three Picasso paintings that have been on display in the museum for the past three years. Picture: Mona

“Art is always pretty subjective,” he said.

“Art also has a fair history of pranks, and some work better than others. I think you can say it was set up as a prank: the various pictures of Kirsha with the ‘fake-asso’ look quite staged.”

He said it was unclear what would happen next, or if there would be any consequences for the avant-garde museum.

“This is not an isolated incident. If there are rules for museums, Mona does not always play by them, and Kirsha certainly does as she wishes,” Mr Harper said.

“Anyway, if you were going to Mona to see a Picasso in a toilet, sorry for the disappointment, but there is some other art there you could make do with.”

The Mercury has reached out for comment from the Picasso Administration in Paris, which acts on behalf of the Picasso estate and has sole authority to authorise or prohibit the use of his works, name and image.

The women-only ladies' lounge at Mona. Picture: Jesse Hunniford

Following a blog post by Kaechele on Wednesday about her reasons behind faking the paintings, the museum has remained mum on what it plans to do next.

It is understood no decisions have yet been made on the future of the paintings – whether they will continue to hang in a women’s toilet, or whether they will be destroyed or repurposed.

Kaechele said she made the “absurd” decision to paint the works herself, and expected the prank to “blow up” almost immediately, but in fact, the opposite happened, with the Ladies’ Lounge and its “Picasso” paintings widely celebrated.

In response to a tribunal decision on Mona’s Ladies Lounge, the museum moved “Picasso” paintings into its first female-only toilets. Picture: Instagram/Kirsha Kaechele

Kaechele also revealed that a number of other items in the Ladies’ Lounge were also fake, including “antique” spears and a rug that had not in fact belonged to Queen Mary of Denmark.

Considered one of the most famous and influential artists of the 20th century, it’s far from the first time Picasso’s works have been forged.

Notably in 1986, his painting Weeping Woman – at that time, the most valuable artwork in Australia – was stolen from the National Gallery of Victoria.

Mona’s Kirsha Kaechele admits to faking Picasso paintings

Earlier: Artist Kirsha Kaechele has admitted she created three fake Picasso paintings which have been on display at Hobart’s famous Museum of Old and New Art for the past three years.

The wife of Mona founder David Walsh, has confessed to the forgeries in a blog post titled ‘Art is not truth’: Pablo Picasso, where she explains she created the “priceless works of art” to hang in the Ladies Lounge at Mona.

Her admission follows a letter from the Picasso Administration in France and inquiries from journalists.

Artist and Mona curator Kirsha Kaechele has admitted she has faked three Picasso paintings hanging in the museum for the past three years. Picture: Mona

“I’ve waited patiently for this day,” she writes in her blog.

“Three years and seven months to be exact. That many days ago I was sleepless, exhilarated … but prepared (with pictures). Now, I’m not so sure, at the mercy of the art.”

Kaechele explains she painted the fake Picassos to go in Mona’s controversial Ladies Lounge.

“I knew of a number of Picasso paintings I could borrow from friends, but none of them were green and I wished for the Lounge to be monochrome. I also had time working against me, not to mention the cost of insuring a Picasso – exorbitant!

“A few days later I was having drinks with my friend Natalie. ‘Maybe I should just make the paintings myself,’ I said. We laughed — how absurd. But then, as with many absurd ideas, I decided it was a good one. So I made the artworks, quite painstakingly, with my own hands.”

Artist and Mona curator Kirsha Kaechele has admitted she has faked three Picasso paintings hanging in the museum for the past three years. Picture: Mona

The Ladies Lounge has been embroiled in controversy because it prevented any men from entering that part of the museum.

This angered NSW man Jason Lau who lodged a complaint with Tasmania’s Anti-Discrimination Commissioner, igniting a legal standoff that reached the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Mona was ordered to allow men into the lounge but Mona moved the Picasso paintings into a women’s toilet to restrict males from seeing the paintings.

Originally published as ‘Kirsha seems to like pranks’: Time will tell future of Mona’s trio of Picasso fakes