When British collector Martin Lang purchased ‘Nude 1909-10’ in 1992, he thought that he was acquiring an authentic painting attributed to Marc Chagall. However, after recently submitting the work to the Paris-based Chagall Committee for evaluation, Lang learned that the work is a forgery. In addition to the bad news, the Committee stated that the painting should be burned, citing French laws implemented to protect artists’ works. Lang is hoping that the Committee will reconsider their decision to destroy the painting, regardless of its authenticity.

The Chagall Committee is run by the Russian-French artist’s grandchildren with the intent of protecting the modernist master’s legacy. The destruction of counterfeit artworks is routine in France and an artist’s heirs have the right to destroy an object that is officially deemed a forgery under what is known as “the moral law of the artist.”

Lang purchased the watercolor for 100,000 pounds from a London-based art consultant. Although the work was not authenticated, it was said to be a Chagall from around 1909 to 1910.