Picasso once said, "good artists copy, great artists steal." Of course, it has never been as simple as that. Questions concerning artistic authenticity, honest or dishonest intentions and outright plagiarism have been around ever since societies began to consider artistic expression the unique product of individual artists.

The notorious difficulty of determining the veracity of conflicting claims in a highly subjective field might be enough to make an artist who feels they have been defrauded by another pause before pursuing their case. But the continued exposure of such abuses and the drawn-out fights that often ensue make it clear that the sting of plagiarism, real or perceived, is enduring.

On the heels of a recent case in which prominent Japanese painter Yoshihiko Wada was forced to return a prize from the Agency for Cultural Affairs due to evidence he plagiarized the work of Italian painter Alberto Sughi, the latest controversy to arise regarding artistic authenticity involves two Egyptian artists, one of whose work was shown as part of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial in southern Niigata Prefecture this summer.