Unpublished Van Gogh painting found at flea market

The art world has been abuzz for many days with the news that the painting "Old Man Weaving a Fishing Net" purchased by an antique collector 9 years ago is by Van Gogh.

According to ARTnews, the LMI Group International Art Research Company (New York) published a 458-page document identifying the oil painting titled "Elimar" as a work by Vincent Van Gogh (1853 - 1890). 20 experts from many fields including chemistry, curation, intellectual property law were authorized to conduct a 4-year long appraisal process to reach this conclusion.

In 2019, LMI bought the painting to find out its origin but did not disclose the purchase price. Previously, the painting belonged to an anonymous antique collector who bought the work for $50 at a flea market in 2016.

Van Gogh's painting "The Old Man Weaving a Fishing Net". (Photo: LMI GROUP INTERNATIONAL)

Based on the characteristics of the canvas, paint quality and other details, researchers concluded that the work was created in 1889 - the time when Van Gogh was being treated at the Saint-Paul Psychiatric Hospital in the South of France. This period was also when the artist created a number of masterpieces such as "Almond Blossom" (1890), "Irises" (1889), "The Starry Night" (1889).

According to LMI, "Elimar" is based on a work by Danish artist Michael Ancher (1849 - 1927), one of many versions Van Gogh made of other artists' paintings. "The analysis of this extraordinary painting provides a fresh perspective on Van Gogh's career, especially as it relates to his reinterpretation of other artists' works," said Maxwell L. Anderson, Executive Director of LMI.

Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch impressionist painter, influenced by Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Pissarro and Gauguin.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/tranh-chua-tung-cong-bo-cua-van-gogh-tim-thay-o-cho-do-cu-3342320.html