A group of French artists and thinkers believes Internet art is misunderstood and under-appreciated, so they did something about it. It ran March 19-21 in Lorient, France. The planned auction has split the art establishment.
Some experts are convinced the work is a fake.
But in the economics of the Internet where buzz is key, even a failed auction could produce considerable cash for Creative Conduit, the Miami-based Internet business involved. If successful, the art sale would be the largest ever conducted on the net. She holds several letters attesting to its authenticity, including two appraisals from the late 1960s and a document signed by Gauguin's son. But for the Paris-based Wildenstein Institute, which is considered a final authority on Gauguin by leading auction houses, that is not enough. It has considered the painting many times over the years and, it maintains, it is not a Gauguin.