Lost Van Gogh found 'in a bank vault'
May 12 2014
We've only got the above grainy (and not entirely convincing) photo so far, but Reuters reports that Spanish tax authorities have found what may be a lost Van Gogh. The picture was found in a bank vault during a tax investigation:
Spanish tax inspectors checking the contents of a safety deposit box discovered a painting believed to be by Dutch master Vincent Van Gogh that went missing almost 40 years ago, a tax office source said on Saturday.
Confirming a report by Spanish newspaper El Mundo, the source said the painting was entitled "Cypress, Sky and Country" in English translation from Spanish and dated 1889. The pastoral work had last been on view in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in the Austrian capital Vienna, the source told Reuters.
He said an investigation was under way into how the painting wound up in the safety deposit box and whether it disappeared as a result of a robbery.
Art experts told the tax office that the painting, bearing three seals of authenticity and measuring 35 by 32 centimeters 13.7 by 12.5 inches), is most likely genuine although this must still be confirmed by Spain's Culture Ministry. The value of the painting has not yet been assessed.
More details when I get them.
Update - a reader writes:
The Spanish newspaper said the canvas has three wax seals. One of the Rijksmuseum (04/08/1944), one of the Museum der Schöne Künste in Berlin (undated) and the last of the Kunsthistorisches Institut der Universität Wien (04/10/1974).
According to the person investigated by the Tax Office, the work is in Spain since 2010 and he is a mere depositary, painting belonging to a foreign millionaire.
