An independent review of Aboriginal art to be included in a National Gallery of Australia exhibition has cleared the paintings of allegations of interference.
The 28 paintings were to have formed the gallery's major winter show Ngura Pulka – Epic Country.
But an article published in The Australian newspaper in April alleged the paintings by Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) artists had been interfered with.
The allegations shook the Aboriginal art industry and the exhibition was postponed indefinitely while several reviews were undertaken.
The gallery's independent panel has now ruled the artists exercised effective creative control over their work and the paintings comply with the National Gallery's provenance policy.
The findings state the word of the artist is of "utmost importance" in determining attribution, and each artist involved said the work was their own without hesitation.
"Without exception, the artists to whom we spoke, unequivocally told us that the works under review in each case were made by them and expressly denied that there had been any improper interference in the making of their work," the review stated.
In its interim report due in June, which was not made public, the panel found "most of the paintings have not been subject to any credible direct evidence impugning their provenance".
The exhibition will now be rescheduled.
Artists from the collective said the attack on their integrity and artwork has been "thrown in the rubbish bin where it belongs".
But the matter is far from over - they and art centre general manager Skye O'Meara still face a second, broader investigation led by the South Australian government.
While the National Gallery's probe sought only to ensure that artists exercised "effective creative control" over their paintings, the South Australian review has a much wider brief.
As well as looking at allegations of intervention, concealment and failing to provide a safe workplace, it will also review the collective's governance, management and practices.
The danger for the National Gallery is that any adverse findings might reflect not only on the collective but the exhibition too and it's not known how long the review will take.
O'Meara is confident the collective will again be cleared and has characterised the allegations as "an opening shot in a deliberate effort to destroy the collective and its significant artistic, cultural and economic achievements".
Yet there were some aspects of Wednesday's findings that would have been reassuring.
The initial allegations aired by The Australian featured a 50-second edited video ostensibly showing art workers interfering with a canvas, and investigators were unable to obtain an unedited version of this footage.
Also, two artists who claimed the work of other painters had not been done independently recanted and withdrew their evidence, while other witnesses also failed to provide sworn statements.
Crucially, dated photographic evidence revealed cracks in the interference claims.
"These inconsistencies meant that some of the most important allegations of direct and improper interference were, in our view, unsustainable," the review found.
The National Gallery says it's monitoring the second investigation.
