Yo Poznan!

Poznań, we’ve got ourselves a proper art-world scandal. You know that painting hanging in the National Museum in Poznan in Poznan’s Old Town on Al. Marcinkowskiego 9, — “Vegetable Market at Żelaznej Bramy Square in Warsaw”? The one we’ve all proudly pointed out to visiting friends like, “Look, that’s by Józef Pankiewicz, one of Poland’s greats”?

Yeah… about that. Turns out it’s not a Pankiewicz. Not even close. It’s a copy. A really, really good copy — but still, a copy.

How did we fall for this?

Apparently, the cracks in the story first showed back in 2017 when Professor Michał Haake from Adam Mickiewicz University squinted at the canvas and went, “Hmm… something’s fishy here.” And that was enough to kick off a years-long CSI: Museum Edition.

Conservators got to work in 2019, literally peeling this thing like an onion. Layers of paint? Yanked. Secondary canvas? Ripped off. Signature? Fake, baby! For seven decades, nobody noticed. That’s like living with a cat that turns out to be a raccoon.

The museum’s reaction? Shock.

Imagine thinking you’ve got a Van Gogh hanging in your living room, only to find out it’s a cheeky poster from IKEA. Painful. Agnieszka Rękawek from the conservation team admitted she held out hope right until the end that maybe, just maybe, there’d be some trace of the original hiding underneath. Spoiler: there wasn’t.

The signature? Forged. The layers? Overpainted. The whole thing? A masterclass in copycat artistry.

So what now?

Before you storm the museum demanding a refund for your ticket — chill. Even though it’s not a Pankiewicz, the painting still has historical and artistic value. Plus, the museum turned this whole mess into a brand-new exhibition: “Ulec złudzeniu” (Succumbing to Illusion). The fake sits proudly next to a photo of the missing original, with a documentary film that shows just how the great art undressing went down.

And who knows — maybe the real deal is still out there, sitting in some dusty attic, waiting to be found. (If you spot it at your grandma’s, call the museum before you list it on OLX.)

Poznan Daily verdict:

Iconic? Yes. Original? Nope. Embarrassing? A little. Fascinating? 100%.

So, next time you’re at the museum, take a look. Because let’s be honest — everyone secretly loves a scandal, even when it’s painted in oils.