A painting bought for under $50 at a garage sale in 2016 is now being hailed as an authentic Vincent van Gogh, potentially worth a jaw-dropping $15 million. After years of research and a meticulous 450-page report, experts are convinced that the artwork is the real deal.
The painting made its way into the hands of LMI Group, a New York-based art research firm, in 2019. The company’s team of historians, scientists, and curators spent four years investigating its authenticity. The discovery has led to the piece being named Elimar, derived from the word etched in the lower-right corner of the canvas.
The oil painting, which measures 16 inches by 18 inches, shows a fisherman with a white beard smoking a pipe while mending his nets on a deserted beach. It’s believed to be inspired by a work of Danish artist Michael Ancher, with Van Gogh reportedly creating it while staying at the Saint-Paul asylum in Saint-Remy de Provence from May 1889 to May 1890. Experts suggest it reflects a period when Van Gogh was revisiting themes from his early life.
To prove its authenticity, LMI Group’s team examined everything from brushstrokes to pigments. They even found a hair embedded in the canvas, which was sent for DNA testing. Sadly, the degraded condition of the hair prevented them from linking it to Van Gogh’s descendants, but it still added to the fascinating investigation.
LMI Group’s chairman, Lawrence M. Shindell, emphasized how a combination of traditional art expertise and cutting-edge technology made this breakthrough possible. “We aim both to expand and tailor the resources available for art authentication,” he said.
The painting’s discovery should not be entirely shocking, according to the report. Van Gogh, who was known to give away works and was often careless with his studies, is believed to have lost many pieces over the years. In fact, the artist’s unreleased works and “lost” pieces are part of what makes his legacy so intriguing.
However, the painting still needs to be officially recognized by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam before it can be declared a genuine Van Gogh. The museum declined to confirm the piece back in 2018, but with the new findings, experts are optimistic that it will soon be officially attributed to the artist.