Lost Van Gogh painting sold at MN garage sale? Firm claims 'Elimar' is authentic
MINNETONKA, Minn. (FOX 9) - Experts with a New York-based art firm believe they have verified a long-lost Vincent van Gogh piece after it was sold at a garage sale in Minnetonka for less than $50.
The painting, called "Elimar", after the words are written in the bottom-right corner, shows a bearded fisherman mending a net and smoking a pipe. But, a previous analysis by the Van Gogh Museum denied its authenticity.
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A photo of the painting Elimar, which LMI Group International claims was painted by Vincent van Gogh. (Supplied)
Van Gogh found in Minnesota?
What they're saying:
LMI Group International, a data science art research firm based in New York, said that it has authenticated the painting "Elimar" as a work of the iconic Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh.
The 450-page report, released by the firm on Tuesday, is the culmination of four years of research and more than $30,000 spent after LMI Group purchased the painting in 2019.
The piece has not been authenticated by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. The LMI report states that the previous buyer did submit an inquiry to Van Gogh Museum in December 2018. The museum reportedly responded in February 2019, saying "We have carefully examined the material you supplied to us and are of the opinion, based on stylistic features, that your work (Painting: Oil on canvas, 46cm x 42cm) cannot be attributed to Vincent van Gogh."
The Wall Street Journal reports the museum said it has a "rigorous procedure" in place to authenticate possible Van Gogh artwork. The museum reportedly receives hundreds of authentication requests a year and only considers candidates after a "groundswell of approval from galleries, auction houses or other art professionals", the Journal reports.
The firm says it purchased the painting for an undisclosed amount after the previous owner, an unsuspecting antique collector, bought it from a Minnetonka garage sale for less than $50 in 2016.
President of LMI Group Lawrence M. Schindell shared this statement in a news release: "LMI Group’s data-based approach to verifying authorship of this painting represents a new standard of confidence for bringing to light unknown or forgotten works by important artists. By integrating science and technology with traditional tools of connoisseurship, historical context, formal analysis, and provenance research, we aim both to expand and tailor the resources available for art authentication based on the unique properties of the works under our care."
The LMI Group report claims that Van Gogh painted "Elimar" while he was committed to a psychiatric asylum in Southern France in 1889, where he created about 150 paintings, including famous works such as "Irises", "Almond Blossom" and "The Starry Night".
Painting analysis
Dig deeper:
The report states that a team of experts in art history, DNA analysis, materials science and advanced data analysis contributed to the assertion that the painting is a work of Vincent van Gogh.
Their reported findings include:
- Materials in the painting found to be compatible with 19th-century attribution and an egg-white temporary finish that the artist was known to use as he rolled them, as well as evidence the painting was rolled.
- Mathematical similarities between the letters "E L I M A R" found in the bottom-right corner of the painting and other free-form letters found in other autograph works by Van Gogh.
- DNA analysis of a hair that appeared red confirmed to belong to a human male.
- Stylistically distinct elements that align with Van Gogh's oeuvre, such as distinctive marks under the eyes and marks at the corner of the mouth.
LMI researchers also point out that van Gogh did not sign most of his works, so "Elimar" lacking a signature actually contributes to their case and does not diminish it.
What's next:
The Wall Street Journal reports that LMI Group plans to unveil their findings in private viewings to major van Gogh scholars and dealers later this month.
If the painting is confirmed to be a work of Van Gogh, LMI Group International believes it would be worth at least $15 million.
The Source: A report released by the data science research firm LMI Group the Wall Street Journal and the Minnesota Star Tribune.