ARTISTRY OR ARTIFICE?; NO RULING ON KOUROS MYSTERY.

Centuries before there were curb jockeys and pink flamingos, the ancient Greeks were cranking out kouros statues. You know, those square-shouldered, perfectly proportioned guys who look like they iron their curly, shoulder-length hair with corn starch.

The Getty kouros, acquired nine years after J. Paul Getty's death, was a sixth-century B.C. gem. Except that it was fake. Or so several art experts thought, including Thomas Hoving, former director of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, who wrote about the statue in a book about art forgeries (the relevant chapter was titled ``The Curious Spurious Kouros'').

Quel embarrassment!

After years of quibbling, and a Getty-sponsored international symposium in Athens on the kouros's authenticity, the kouros now stands in the Getty collection with a label that reads: ``Sixth Century B.C. or Modern.''

A grudging concession to the skeptics? Or a sign of the Getty's maturity and creativity in turning a possible faux pas into an intriguing puzzle? That's something each beholder can now decide. (Even Hoving calls the Getty's move ``courageous.'')

Anyway, we'd like to show you a mug shot of the kouros, but the Getty, um, doesn't allow pictures. But heck, when you've seen one kouros, you've sort of seen 'em all, so here's a (nonforged) illustration.

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PHOTO (color) Getty kouros