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| Lost Matisse painting inspires topless protest in Caracas | Lost Matisse painting inspires topless protest in Caracas |
| (8 months later) | |
| The guards in front of Caracas's Museum of Contemporary Art did not appear to feel too threatened by the protest taking place on their doorstep. | The guards in front of Caracas's Museum of Contemporary Art did not appear to feel too threatened by the protest taking place on their doorstep. |
| Early one recent morning more than a dozen women wearing nothing but red genie pants gathered at the doors of the institution from where Henri Matisse's Odalisque in Red Trousers went missing, to ask for the prompt return of the painting they were emulating. | Early one recent morning more than a dozen women wearing nothing but red genie pants gathered at the doors of the institution from where Henri Matisse's Odalisque in Red Trousers went missing, to ask for the prompt return of the painting they were emulating. |
| The women were photographed by the Venezuelan artist Violette Bule in poses reminiscent of the 1925 post-impressionist work that was replaced with a fake over a decade ago. | The women were photographed by the Venezuelan artist Violette Bule in poses reminiscent of the 1925 post-impressionist work that was replaced with a fake over a decade ago. |
| "My main goal is to have the original returned but I also want to call attention to the irony behind the way the art market works," said Bule, who masterminded the ensemble. "After this scandal, the Odalisque will surely be worth much more," she added. | "My main goal is to have the original returned but I also want to call attention to the irony behind the way the art market works," said Bule, who masterminded the ensemble. "After this scandal, the Odalisque will surely be worth much more," she added. |
| Though the painting is said to have been recovered by FBI agents in Miami, details of the operation or the exact whereabouts of the Odalisque – valued at well over $3m (£2m) – have yet to be revealed. Two weeks ago, the Venezuelan attorney general, Luisa Ortega, declared to the press that her two attempts to contact US officials regarding the painting had gone unanswered. No other announcements have been made since. | Though the painting is said to have been recovered by FBI agents in Miami, details of the operation or the exact whereabouts of the Odalisque – valued at well over $3m (£2m) – have yet to be revealed. Two weeks ago, the Venezuelan attorney general, Luisa Ortega, declared to the press that her two attempts to contact US officials regarding the painting had gone unanswered. No other announcements have been made since. |
| In the meantime, the mystery behind the theft of the semi-naked woman is leading some to doubt whether the oil painting allegedly offered to the undercover agents is not in fact another copy. | In the meantime, the mystery behind the theft of the semi-naked woman is leading some to doubt whether the oil painting allegedly offered to the undercover agents is not in fact another copy. |
| "I am fascinated about how art works are reproduced. At the end of the day, it turns out, that it doesn't really matter if you are looking at the original or at the fake," Bule said. | "I am fascinated about how art works are reproduced. At the end of the day, it turns out, that it doesn't really matter if you are looking at the original or at the fake," Bule said. |
| But for Wanda de Guébriant, who directs the Archive Matisse in France, telling the original from the fake is central to her role. "The FBI called me shortly after the operation happened. They said they'd call again but they haven't. Who knows?" said Guébriant. "Depending on who is involved, sometimes we never find out what happens," she added. | But for Wanda de Guébriant, who directs the Archive Matisse in France, telling the original from the fake is central to her role. "The FBI called me shortly after the operation happened. They said they'd call again but they haven't. Who knows?" said Guébriant. "Depending on who is involved, sometimes we never find out what happens," she added. |
| For Guillermo Barrios, an expert in museum studies, the irony is twofold. He said: "After all the attention this has garnered the fake too will worth a lot of money. It's become a cult figure". | For Guillermo Barrios, an expert in museum studies, the irony is twofold. He said: "After all the attention this has garnered the fake too will worth a lot of money. It's become a cult figure". |
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