The Otago Art Society has found itself in the middle of a scrap over the authenticity of works by one of Dunedin's most celebrated artists.

A collection of 13 newly-found works allegedly by Frances Hodgkins are on display at the society's gallery.

The works were found by Waiheke Island art collector Andy Boston, who found them in a mouldy cardboard folder during a clearance of a house in Dorset, UK.

However Auckland Art Gallery senior curator Mary Kisler and a group of Hodgkins experts are certain they are not authentic.

It was possible the work was by one of Hodgkins’ students, but it was also possible they were fake, Kisler told the Otago Daily Times.

"I feel sorry for [Boston] on one level, but at the same time I think it’s disrespectful to a major artist," she said.

The Otago Art Society has been asked to put up a warning next to the works saying their authenticity is disputed.