Jason Kaufman of The Art Newspaper stirred some controversy yesterday with his story revealing the bitter feelings surrounding a new book about Frida Kahlo that is based upon a cache of disputed materials. The Telegraph picked up the story this morning and features the objections of Mary-Anne Martin, a New York-based Latin American dealer. In Kaufman’s piece she bluntly states her views on the trove:

There’s nothing I would like more than to discover a group of unknown works by Frida Kahlo, but there is no way on earth that any of these works could pass muster at Sotheby’s, Christie’s, or my gallery. I am astounded it has gone as far as it has.”

The publisher, Princeton Architectural Press says the doubts are explored directly in the book. The author, Barabar Levine, does too:

In an email to The Art Newspaper, Levine says that she is “not working for the Noyolas and the Noyolas did not fund any portion of the book”. She describes Finding Frida Kahlo as “my personal encounter with the materials” […] “If i had made an art historical book about Kahlo or set out to prove the authenticity of the Noyola collection it would have been appropriate for me to consult with Frida Kahlo experts,” she says, adding that experts’ rejection of the collection is “understandable” […]

According to an interview in the forthcoming book, and to emails from Noyola to The Art Newspaper, the couple acquired the items incrementally from 2004-07 from a lawyer who in turn had acquired them from a woodcarver who allegedly received them from the artist. Noyola tells The Art Newspaper he has more than 1,200 Kahlo items in all. He would not disclose how much he paid, but says: “We did acquire the collection with the belief and some groundwork done to prove that it is in fact authentic and thus paid accordingly.” He states that the collection is not for sale and will not be for sale in the future. […]

Forthcoming Frida Kahlo Book Denounced as Fake (The Art Newspaper)

Frida Hahlo Scholars Denounce ‘Lost Archive’ as Fakes (Telegraph)