The most talked about painting in America this week now has its own security guard standing next to it as it hangs on the wall of the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA).
Vincent Van Gogh’s painting “Une Liseuse de Romans,” also known as “The Novel Reader,” made headlines around the world this week when a lawsuit was filed in federal court in Detroit on Tuesday, Jan. 10, alleging that the painting was stolen from its rightful owner. before landing at the DIA for his “Van Gogh in America” show.
Brazilian art collector Gustavo Soter claims he bought the piece in 2017 for $3.7 million, but now estimates its value at more than $5 million. In the lawsuit, Soter alleges that a “third party” ran off with the piece, prompting Soter to search for it for more than five years while he held the title.
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On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Caram Steeh scheduled an oral hearing in the case for January 19, until then: “The Detroit Institute of Arts is ordered to refrain from damaging, destroying, concealing, disposing of, moving or using in a way that would materially diminish its value, the item was described as follows: An 1888 painting by Vincent van Gogh titled ‘Liseuse De Romans’ or ‘The Novel Reader’ or ‘The Brachy Lady.'”
The DIA exhibition “Van Gogh in America” has proven to be a great success since its opening on October 2nd and has seen more than 170,000 visitors to date. By Friday evening, the remaining dates until January 22 were almost completely sold out.
Museum officials said Friday that they expect an additional 10,000 visitors over the weekend.
While DIA management had previously considered extending the exhibit, before the lawsuit was filed, the decision was made to stick with the original conclusion due to high pressure and demand on staff.
The alleged owner of “The Novel Reader,” Soter, wants the painting returned to him instead of to a private collector in São Paulo, Brazil, who loaned the piece to the museum. The suit points fault not at the DIA — which went through standard best-practice procedures to acquire and display the painting — but at the anonymous “owner” who lent the painting.
A hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 19, at 10 a.m. in the Theodore Levin U.S. District Court in downtown Detroit.
“Van Gogh in America” opened on October 2 as a historic gathering of 74 works by the Dutch post-impressionist painter with the support of the artist’s descendants and the official Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
The pieces are borrowed from several sources around the world; the exhibit is exclusive to the DIA and will not travel anywhere else after it closes in Detroit.
Related:Van Gogh Exhibits ‘Once in a Lifetime’ Collection of 74 Works at DIA
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Contact Free Press arts and culture reporter Duante Beddingfield at [email protected]
