When A Masterwork Is Decertified (Where Do You Put It?)

In 1985 the LA County Museum acquired a Van Dyck painting with great fanfare. But “these days, ‘Andromeda’ is all but invisible. Although it probably cost about $1 million, it hasn’t been hung in a public area for several years, and the museum has never announced a reason. The answer is there, however, for those who dig into LACMA’s online collection database: In July 1998, the museum decided it wasn’t a Van Dyck after all.”