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When I finally have a few hours, instead of turning to the Bernheims’ claim to Party for Wyatt, I make a preliminary stab at Berthe’s authorship of Party .

Why isn’t there a word like this for a painting?

“Artistship”? Jonathan mentioned Berthe and édouard’s catalogues raisonnés, but before I search for similarities between their works and my painting—and hopefully find more parallels in Berthe’s than in édouard’s—I pull up each of their online catalogues to see what’s in them.

Although only a portion of édouard’s is public—apparently, some foundations like to keep things close to the vest—there are hundreds of paintings listed in his, including Party on the Seine .

According to the entry, it was painted between 1896 and 1897—after Berthe died—and was first shown at the 1898 Salon to vast acclaim, probably leading to Manet’s Legion of Honor medal in 1899.

This is followed by a partial account of the shows and galleries where it was exhibited prior to 1936.

It ends with the fact that Party was stolen by the Nazis in the late 1930s and presumed destroyed.

There are fewer listings of Berthe’s oeuvre.

Her catalogue appears to be completely public, as there isn’t a Berthe Morisot Foundation.

Surprise. Surprise. From just a quick appraisal, I can see that many of her works are missing, and the particulars on individual paintings have gaping holes compared to édouard’s mostly complete entries.

I have a book with photos of her paintings and drawings, of which there are over four hundred.

Ah, Berthe, no wonder you’re so frustrated. So many years of struggle to be accepted and appreciated, followed by so many more of losing what you’d achieved.

THE CLOCK IS ticking ever forward toward the trial, now only three weeks away, and I’m growing more frantic by the day.

The Colette investigation has hit a dead end.

There isn’t any information about the Bernheims beyond the confiscation of their art collection and their immigration to the United States.

After all they endured, I’m figuring they just wanted to keep a low profile once they were safe.

Presumably, they were pretty destroyed themselves.

So I turn to Aimée Manet, Colette’s mother.

According to the records, Berthe was already dead when édouard painted Party , as was his brother Gène, so Aimée—Berthe and Gène’s daughter—was the most likely recipient, the one who would have passed it on to her own daughter.

I’ve been over this territory before, and I’ve found no paperwork or even a suggestion that édouard gifted it to her.

But if Berthe is the artist, none of this matters, as the painting is unequivocally mine.

My search for similar subjects and brushstrokes in édouard and Berthe’s work didn’t yield as much as I’d hoped, but AI is known for its hallucinations, so it’s hard to be certain.

Although there were more hits between Berthe and Party than édouard, because of the low quality of the internet photos, nothing definitive. And, most likely, more hallucinations.

The only way to settle the question of artistship—I’m going to coin the term—is to find an authenticator to verify it.

I could ask Jonathan for advice, but after our last conversation about the possibility that édouard didn’t paint it, I don’t dare.

I discover that official authenticators have advanced degrees in art history and years of experience working in museums or galleries or auction houses, along with excellent research and forensic technical skills.

Then there’s usually a specialization in a particular artist or movement, and a certification process by the International Foundation for Art Research. I had no idea.

When I was first thinking about this, I figured I needed a Manet scholar, but now I realize that was wrong.

What I need is a Morisot expert. I quickly discover that a Manet expert would be easier to find.

As Jonathan said, the official authentication boards that determine an artwork’s legitimacy are often seated within each artist’s foundation, and Berthe has no foundation.

Another thing I’ll correct if I get the chance.

Nor are there nearly as many art professionals or academics who specialize in her work.

Plus, after a spate of recent lawsuits brought by owners against authenticators who’d determined the paintings they’d purchased as masterworks—for masterwork prices—were actually forgeries, many experts, both within and outside foundations, closed shop.

This list includes those who specialized in Pollock, Krasner, Warhol, and Basquiat, as well as an array of other well-known artists.

Then, I see that my problems are far greater than these.

Apparently, before a Morisot authenticator would even consider analyzing Party , I’d need full documentation of the painting’s listing in Berthe’s catalogue raisonné—which, of course it isn’t, as it’s in Manet’s—along with photos, exhibition records, awards, certificates, scholarly references, correspondence, etc.

, etc., etc. To make matters even more difficult, the most important piece of information is verification of Party ’s provenance, and any breaks or discrepancies in the record of ownership can raise serious questions that might impede authentication.

Not to mention that all this documentation would affirm that édouard is the artist who painted it.