An early unknow work by
Emmanuel Mané-Katz ?
In 2024, this painting was discovered in the north of Brazil. It depicts a man wearing a cap and a blue scarf. The frame is not original, we replaced it because the previous one was very old, damaged, and infested with woodworms. While the oil painting and canvas strongly recall the themes and style of Mané-Katz, we are seeking to confirm its authenticity, verify that the signature is indeed his, identify the person portrayed, and ultimately uncover the painting’s history. It could be an early, previously unknown work by Mané-Katz, which has therefore not yet been catalogued in the artist’s catalogue raisonné.
What we know about this painting
Discovered in Brazil
The last owner of this painting was Lincoln de Moraes Machado, former director of Banco Comercial Bancesa, passed away on September 29, 2022. He was a Brazilian businessman, he served as the financial vice president of Bancesa, a bank based in Fortaleza. We acquired the painting at an auction in Fortaleza in december 2024; this painting had gone unnoticed.
Not Listed in the Catalogue Raisonné
In February 2024, we sought to identify the painting in its catalogue raisonné, written by Robert Aries in collaboration with Jacques O’Hana. Unable to find a copy in Brazil, we contacted the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, which directed us to the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (INHA) in Paris, as they hold a copy of the catalogue raisonné. We quickly received a response confirming that the artwork is not listed in the catalogue.
Could the painting be signed by a namesake? Highly unlikely. This leaves us with two possibilities: was it signed by a forger attempting to pass it off as a Mane-Katz, or is it an unknown work by Mane-Katz?
No Response from the Mané-Katz Museum
We tried to contact the Mane-Katz Museum in Haifa by email. Apparently, the museum is closed for renovations, but we did not receive any response. We then attempted to reach Svetlana Reingold, who served as the museum’s curator for 10 years until 2020, via LinkedIn. Our messages were read, but we received no reply.
Fake Signature or Early Work ?
Through a French contact, we reached out to Mr Lucien Krief, who is the leading living expert on Mané-Katz, to get his opinion on the painting, which he did very kindly. His initial assessment was definitive: “It’s a fake.”
Disappointed, we asked for further explanations, and his assistant’s response was less categorical: ” Mr. Krief mentioned that the signature does not appear quite right. This could be due to the piece being an early work (...)”
Hope!
Due to time constraints and costs, we initially decided to conduct this signature analysis ourselves. After all, we are international experts in autographs, members of ILAB—written artifacts are our specialty. We plan to share our study with Mr. Lucien Krief; it will be interesting.
Most Likely an Authentic Signature
We spent several days working with Artprice.com and Artsignaturedictionary.com, two widely used databases in the art market. Additionally, we consulted the sales history of the Drouot auction house, to which we have been subscribed for many years. These resources allowed us to gather a comprehensive selection of authenticated signatures for comparison.
With Ricardo Melina - one of the leading experts in Brazil in the analysis of audio, images, and forensic documents - we meticulously analyzed the signature letter by letter, examining the spacing between characters, as well as the rhythm and overall coherence of the writing. We compared it with the database of authenticated Mané-Katz signatures that we have gathered.
Through our analysis, we observed that all authenticated Mané-Katz signatures found in the databases exhibit slight variations but share consistent characteristics, traits that are also present in the signature on this painting. There is no indication of an attempt to imitate. Based on our expertise, we believe this signature is authentic, and the painting could date from the period 1930-1940. We will conduct further comparisons in the coming months.
Three interesting informations
We contacted Marc Ways, a French specialist who works on the Painters of the Lost Generation and on art labeled as “degenerate” by the Nazis. Three key takeaways from our exchanges:
1. He finds the painting very beautiful, entirely in the style of Mané-Katz. He believes he has seen this painting before in a gallery in the United States.
2. He notes that the signature is unusually placed in the upper left corner of the painting. This may be because the lower part of the frame is very dark, and the lower right section has multiple layers of paint creating a “relief.” The artist, who usually signed in black, might not find the lower part suitable for signing and chose the lightest area of the painting, in the upper left, to place his signature.
3. He does not believe that the painting was looted by the Nazis and illegally brought to Brazil by a fugitive.
This is all we know. For now. The process of authenticating a work of art is long and must be precise. Our goal is to build a well-founded conviction. The unanswered questions:
Is the signature authentic? The analyses show that the signature is authentic, but we wish to strengthen the evidence.
What is the provenance of the painting before its purchase by Lincoln de Moraes Machado? How did it arrive in Brazil?
Why is the painting not included in the catalogue raisonné?
Who is the person depicted in the painting? A fictional character, an anonymous individual, or a famous friend?
When and where was the painting created?
Mathias Meyer | Founder www.glorias.com.br, autographs expert