French painter and collector Emile Schuffenecker (18851-1934) who has been accused recently of having produced some Van Gogh forgeries is also suspected of having completed some works by Paul Cézanne, according to researches made by art historian Jill-Elyse Grossvogel.
Mrs Grossvogel, who is currently preparing a catalogue raisonné of Schuffenecker's works, said that the artist painted the sky of an unfinished painting by Cézanne representing a landscape of the Jas de Bouffan in Southern France. In another painting representing the portrait of his wife Cézanne had left her hands blank and Schuffenecker added some pink colour on these.
According to certain comments made by Schuffenecker on Cézanne the latter was a kind of misfit who had been unable to produce any completely achieved painting a stand which is apparently contradictory with his keenness on collecting works by such artist. Schuffenecker, who was a close friend of Gauguin or Emile Bernard and who knew Van Gogh well never managed to become a great artist. It is possible that he nurtured some resentment against those who denied him such status.
Known as an idealist who could not suffer social inequalities, Schuffenecker may have felt some pride in retouching the works of these great masters which he sold back as entirely genuine pieces to some well-known dealers and collectors. The debate is now over the extent of retouching on certain works which are puzzling experts who are at a loss when it comes to determine the level of Schuffenecker's interventions and whether a painting has been the subject of minor or major modifications.
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