Surprise fake Enemy nuclear explosion spawned new techniques for oil painting identification

Surprise fake Enemy nuclear explosion spawned new techniques for oil painting identification Nuclear explosions released two particular isotopes, cesium 137 and strontium 90, which permeated the earth's soil and plants, and were found in all the oil paintings created after the war. One can thus draw a line under the identification of modern and contemporary art. Many people, however, are resistant to the technology because so many people's interests are tied up in fakes. A former director of the Russian National Museum, Dr. Elena Basner, recently discovered a new technique for identifying paintings, in which nuclear explosions during World War II played a key role. The technique will allow for the first time a clear distinction between paintings created around 1945. Dr. Besner noted that nuclear explosions in the 1940s and 1950s released two particular isotopes, cesium 137 and strontium 90. They permeate the earth's soils, plants and animals, and are present in all postwar oil paintings, because natural oils, the cementants used in those paintings, are also permeated by these two isotopes. Before nuclear explosions, these two isotopes had never been found in nature. So if experts found these two isotopes in a pre-1945 painting, there would be only one conclusion -- that the painting was a post-1945 fake. After the technique was patented, the first paintings to be identified were those of the Russian avant-garde. The paintings were produced between 1900 and 1930. Forgeries began appearing after the 1960s, and as the market for avant-garde paintings heated up in the 1980s and 1990s, they proliferated. "Forgeries of avant-garde paintings now even outnumber originals." Dr. Bessner has been director of the 20th Century Art Gallery at the Russian National Museum since 1978. Much of her time was spent trying to authenticate museum pieces. This was a big headache for Bethner. "The counterfeiters have been able to recreate almost every corner to perfection, even the paint and canvas of the previous year." Looking for hard evidence that could tell the difference between a real painting and a fake, Bessner consulted scientists and came to an unexpected conclusion: "What was the biggest change in the world before and after world War II? A nuclear explosion." On July 16, 1945, the United States exploded the world's first atomic bomb in the Alamogordo Desert, New Mexico, heralding the world's nuclear age. Since then, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union have also conducted more than 550 nuclear weapon explosion tests, until 1963, the United States, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom signed the Limited Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty, nuclear tests gradually decreased. Flax in nature absorbs isotopes released by nuclear explosions, and oil extracted from flaxseed is used in paintings. Those two isotopes became indelible birthmarks on post-World War II paintings. In western art history, The Second World War marks the dividing point between modern and postmodern art (also known as contemporary art). Therefore, the birth of this new technology not only helps identify Russian avant-garde art, but also has great significance for the entire Western art world. Nearly 30 collectors have come from around the world, Dr. Besner said. Vladimir Afonin, a Russian collector, brought a 1919 painting for a final appraisal before buying it. It turned out that there were no traces of cesium 137 or strontium 90 on the painting, indicating that the work was genuine. Forgeries used to seem like a lingering shadow of the art market, but when it comes to solutions, the market has mixed feelings. So far, Dr Besner is not confident about the new technology's market prospects. "A lot of people are resistant to this technology. Many collectors and dealers are afraid to even come to us for fear that their fakes will be revealed. In fact, too many people have their interests tied up in fakes."