Peter Paul Biro
Peter Paul Biro (born 1954) is a forensic art analyst, known for his work in authenticating paintings using fingerprint analysis. He has been involved in several high-profile cases, including the authentication of works attributed to artists Jackson Pollock, Leonardo da Vinci, and Goodridge Roberts. Biro's techniques and conclusions have been subjects of debate and scrutiny. In 2009, The New Yorker published an article that critically examined Biro’s methods. Subsequently, Biro filed a defamation lawsuit against the magazine, the article's author, and others. The courts later dismissed the lawsuit.
Early life and background[edit]
Peter Paul Biro was born in 1954 in Budapest and emigrated to Montreal with his family as a teenager.[1][2] He left college early to join his father and brother in the art restoration business. Through this business, Biro helped to authenticate a painting by J. M. W. Turner. While examining the Turner painting, he developed the idea to compare a fingerprint found on it to other paintings by Turner. His idea to use fingerprint analysis added a scientific approach to art connoisseurship, a field that had been traditionally subjective.
Biro built his career on the analysis of fingerprints. He operated on the premise that artists may leave their fingerprints on a work of art either intentionally or inadvertently while painting.[2] Biro uses high-resolution digital photography and advanced imaging to detect latent fingerprints. He then compares any found prints to known fingerprints of the artists in question. The assumption is that a match could strongly suggest the artist's direct involvement with the painting.
The New Yorker article and Lawsuit[edit]
The New Yorker published an article in 2010 called the "The Mark of a Masterpiece" that centered on Biro's methods.[2] The author of the article, David Gran, raised questions about the legitimacy of Biro's professional background, methods, and findings. Biro had come under scrutiny in the 1980s for allegedly selling forged artworks. He sold two paintings that were purportedly by the Canadian artist Goodridge Roberts. The buyer later sought Biro's help in verifying the authenticity of the painting, but Biro would not disclose where he obtained them. Moreover, Roberts' widow and other art experts disputed the authenticity of the paintings. The buyer suit Biro for fraud and he was found liable. In other lawsuits, Biro was found liable for duplicating and altering artworks. Grann's article also questioned the legitimacy of Biro's unconventional techniques for finding fingerprints on artworks. For example, many fingerprints on artworks authenticated by Biro appeared too recent to be genuine. Fingerprint experts consulted by Grann suggested that some fingerprints identified by Biro might have been planted using a cast.[2]
Biro filed a defamation lawsuit against the magazine and Grann that sought $2 million in damages.[6][7] Biro maintained that the article caused damage to his reputation and health by insinuating that he fabricated fingerprints on artwork. He expanded his lawsuit to include several other publications that portrayed him negatively. In response, may news sites retracted their statements or issued corrections.[8] Biro's lawsuit was not successful. The US Court of Appeals for the second circuit dismissed Biro’s complaint on the grounds that he failed to demonstrate sufficient facts to support a plausible inference of actual malice in the publication of the article.[9] This ruling also dismissed Biro's lawsuits against several other publications that had publicized the original story from The New Yorker.