Australian curator reveals she painted fake Picassos leading to gender discrimination case

In a surprising turn of events, a controversy has erupted at an Australian art museum over paintings that were claimed to be works by renowned artists like Pablo Picasso. The museum faced a gender discrimination lawsuit for exhibiting these artworks exclusively to women visitors. The situation escalated when the gallery relocated the paintings to a women's restroom to bypass a legal ruling prohibiting men from viewing them. However, it was revealed this week that the curator of the women-only exhibition, Kirsha Kaechele, had actually painted the artworks herself. She disclosed this information after inquiries were made about their authenticity by a reporter and the Picasso Administration in France. The saga began when Kaechele established a women-only area at Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in 2020, aiming to provide a space for women to appreciate art without male presence. The exhibition featured supposed masterpieces by famous artists to emphasize the exclusion of women from historically male-dominated spaces. Despite the revelation that the paintings were not genuine, they had been on display for over three years without scrutiny, including one that was mistakenly hung upside down. The museum, known for its unconventional exhibitions, was directed by the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to cease barring men from the Ladies Lounge following a complaint from a male visitor. The tribunal's decision deemed the exhibition discriminatory, emphasizing that the process of permitting or denying entry was integral to the artwork itself. The museum's conduct was criticized as inappropriate and disrespectful, leading to a call for inclusivity. While a spokesperson for MONA declined to provide further details regarding the correspondence from the Picasso Administration, Kaechele expressed amusement at the misconceptions surrounding the paintings' origins, recounting a fictional anecdote involving her great-grandmother and Picasso. The revelation has sparked discussions about authenticity, gender discrimination, and the boundaries of art in the contemporary cultural landscape.