I agree, keep it!  I have seen and heard of too many examples of works being
deaccessioned as copies or forgeries, only to have some future expert
reattribute them to a significant artist.  I worked in one major museum and
remember a panel painting ignored for years in storage as an 18th or 19th
century copy of a Raphael.  Then along came a new assistant curator who
specialized in early Renaissance paintings of Sienna, plucked the painting
out of obscurity and proved it was by an early Siennese Master.  It is now
hanging proudly in the museum's Renaissance gallery. My question to you is
who declared it a forgery and how did they reach this conclusion?  Have you
had extensive research done including scientific analysis, or is this just
someone's opinion?  Depending on how you obtained this work (through gift,
purchase, etc.) there may be a number of ramifications to deaccessioning it.
I would caution you to act in haste, based soley on an opinion, no matter how
good you think it is.  I also agree that if it really is a forgery, there is
a great amount of educational value in the painting either through exhibition
or strictly as a study piece.

Neil C. Cockerline
Director of Field Services/Conservator
Upper Midwest Conservation Association
Minneapolis, MN

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