Pollock and Lee Krasner expert Ellen Landau, a professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland who labeled the works as authentic in 2005, claims there are several problems with Harvard’s tests. “Connoisseurship is still very important. Science can be helpful, but—in this case—anachronistic pigment doesn’t make sense, with everything else that is known,” she says, adding that “all research avenues should be explored.” She also explains on the Web site out that an expert has verified that Herbert Matter’s handwriting was on the wrapper containing the paintings when found, saying that analyses that dates the pigments used to a timeframe after he died are problematic. She also postulates that some materials used could have been from Basel and not patented in the United States at the time of the paintings’ creation. “We used a very well-categorized database,” Khandekar says. “It seems Landau wants to dismiss the physical evidence in favor of scholarship and art history.” Echoing Landau’s sentiment, he says “all the evidence should be included and considered.”

Eugene Thaw, a former art dealer and president emeritus of the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, said in 2005 it was his opinion the works were not from Pollock’s hand. Landau, herself a former member of the now-disbanded Pollock-Krasner Authentication Board, will curate the upcoming “Pollock Matters” exhibition of these works at the Everson Museum Art (June 16–Sept. 2) in Syracuse, New York, and the McMullen Museum at Boston College (Sept. 1–Dec. 9).

American art historian and critic Barbara Rose says that while she doesn’t think there was any intent to deceive, from the discovery of these works she had not attributed them to Pollock. “For one thing, they did not have Pollock’s rhythms,” Rose says. “The most logical explanation is that these works are by Mr. Matter’s mother, the talented painter Mercedes Carles, who worked in the style of other artists beginning with [Arshile] Gorky.”

When asked if it was paramount that these works be substantiated as Pollock’s, Matter responds “Of course I would love for them to be Pollock’s. They have already been the catalyst for important research that explores the extraordinary relationship between Jackson Pollock and my father. The research has also revealed how they influenced each other, and my parents’ role in American art history.”

On January 31, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston announced it will conduct research on four of the paintings in Matter’s possession. As for Khandekar, he says the Strauss Center is finished with this endeavor. “This project is over for us,” he says.