Take a look at this painting.
I bet you recognize the person in this portrait.
That's right, it's van Gogh.
The question is did he really paint this?
Let's dive into one of the most controversial art
mysteries in the world.
You're going to love this story.
This story starts back in 1893 when
a minister named Salles sells this painting
to a man in Paris, France.
This man, supposedly a patron of the restaurant of the Rue des
Petits Carreaux in Paris, holds the painting
until December 7, 1917, when he sells it himself.
Let's fast forward to 1946 after World War II.
The painting reappears when an American art importer,
Reeves Lewenthal is driving along the French countryside,
has a flat tire, hops into a local bistro near New
Paris for lunch and a phone call,
and spots this dusty old painting on a wall.
He immediately recognizes it as a Van Gogh,
which leads to Jacob Bart De La Faille, a Dutch art expert,
to authenticate the painting a year later.
That takes us to in 1948, when Hollywood big man
and art collector, William Goetz, enters the picture.
Goetz happens to be one of the founders of 20th Century Fox.
Both he and his wife Edith loved art.
And their swanky house was known for parties with big celebs,
amazing food, and art covered walls.
While in Hollywood, Goetz pays $50,000 bucks for "Study
by Candlelight."
That's the equivalent of $500,000 today.
The next year, in 1949, the director
of the Amsterdam museum says this painting's a fake.
And Van Gogh's nephew even agrees.
That same year, 1949, a group of art professionals
met at the Metropolitan Museum in New York
and declared the painting a fake as well.
But the story gets even better.
A year later, a European committee
is organized by Jacob Bart De La Faille, yeah,
the same Dutch art expert.
Well, actually, he was trained as a lawyer, not as an art
expert.
But he put the first catalog together of Van Gogh's work,
so I guess that makes him an expert.
De La Faille's committee concluded that without a doubt,
it's the work of Van Gogh.
To take it a step further, in 1950,
the Department of Treasury in the US
determined 75% of Van Gogh experts
have confirmed it's real.
So I guess it's authenticated.
[CHEERING]
Well, for now.
Let's keep moving.
Finally, getting his purchase legitimized,
Goetz ships the painting from Europe
to the US, which ended up costing him $5,000 in tariffs.
Needless to say, he was not happy about that.
Goetz places his hard-fought prize proudly
above his living room fireplace.
I have to admit, it looks pretty awesome, right?
But this story is not over yet.
In 1970, Goetz dies and Sotheby's Auction House
sells 16 of Goetz's pieces for $2.7 million.
Not too bad.
However, in 1988, when his wife Edith passes away,
Christie's auctions off the remainder of the Goetz
collection, for get this, $85 million.
Yeah, that's a lot of cash.
But the Goetz family receives a few pieces back
because the value could not be determined.
And, you guessed it, one of those pieces
was this one, "Study by Candlelight."
A part of the story I love is that the Goetz's children
decided they could take turns having
the painting in their homes, since for them the painting was
now part of their childhood DNA.
It really didn't matter to them what the value was anyway.
It's not until 2012 that the Goetz family and the Nevada
Museum of Art decided it's time to bring this painting back
to the surface.
They decide to curate an amazing exhibit about this story
and bring on John Twilley, a famous art conservation
scientist.
Yeah, think CSI mixed with famous artwork.
Sounds like a fantastic job.
Twilley is tasked with the job of finally determining
did van Gogh actually paint this or not?
He uses X-ray and infrared technology,
as well as paint pigment analysis.
Two details from his findings are pretty interesting.
First, the painting contains a still-life underpainting
of splayed books and geometric shapes.
Secondly, he also found naturally occurring pigments
in the painting which are consistent with those
available in 1888.
Both of these factors could--
could legitimize this painting.
However, science has its limits.
And even though Twilley tried his best
to determine the authenticity of this painting,
no definitive answer was found.
All that said, this makes one incredibly fascinating story.
Knowing what you know now, I would
love to hear your thoughts.
What do you think?
Is this a legit Van Gogh?
Or did a rich art collector get suckered into buying a forgery?
Let me know in the comments below.
And as always, be Artrageous.
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