L' Hypothèse du tableau volé

L’Hypothèse du tableau volé is structured as an unfolding puzzle, a bafflingly complex mystery where the detectives use the techniques of art history. The film is narrated by an art collector and an unnamed interviewer who dissect a series of six 19th century paintings. The collector argues that certain imperfections in the artwork – errors in perspective, anachronistic objects, misplaced shadows – are not in fact imperfections, but clues left by the artist. He feels these are keys to a larger secret, one related to a grand historical conspiracy. However, this theory presupposes the existence of a seventh painting, the crucial, missing link in the chain. The collector believes this painting has been stolen, but the interviewer claims it never existed. (Judd Blaise)