Work in female artist exhibition by man

MADRID: Madrid’s Prado museum abruptly withdrew a 19th century painting from an exhibition of Spanish female artists yesterday after an online art sleuth showed the work in question was actually painted by a man.

The ‘‘Invitadas’’ (female guests) exhibition, opened last week with the aim of reflecting on the role of women in Spanish art between 1833 and 1931.

The temporary exhibit of 134 works included a poorlypreserved canvas identified as Family Scene by an Andalusian female artist, Concepcion

Mejia de Salvador.

Displayed in its own room, the deeply scratched painting, which depicts three women looking up from domestic chores at an old man bidding farewell to a boy, was supposed to highlight the historical marginalisation of female artists.

But art blogger Concha Diaz followed a paper trail of historical records to the work’s true identity: The Soldier’s Departure, by Adolfo Sanchez Mejia.