Authenticity Dispute Over Hermitage Fabergé Exhibit
Art dealers, museum patrons and experts are hurling insults. Feb. 17, 2021 The “Fabergé: Jeweler to the Imperial Court” exhibit at the Hermitage Museum finds itself at the center of a scandal about fakes. Jo Zimny Photos / Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
The “Fabergé: Jeweler to the Imperial Court” exhibit at the Hermitage Museum finds itself at the center of a scandal about fakes.
It began with an accusation by one Russian art dealer about another Russian art dealer.
On Jan. 10 André Ruzhnikov, a London-based art and antiques specialist, wrote an open letter to the head of the Hermitage, Mikhail Piotrovsky, accusing the museum of exhibiting fake works by Fabergé. The letter was illustrated with annotated photographs of the suspect objects.