'Lost' Van Gogh set to fetch millions

I do believe some have another thought a coming!  I was just wondering to myself,.... and maybe others have too, ones who were interested in this painting about five or six years ago when it came to light.

Portets, France December 12, 2003

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Interest in Van Gogh's painting of farm labourers is high. Photo: Reuters

A painting of farm labourers by Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh, bought at a flea market 12 years ago for 10,000 francs ($A2480), is expected to fetch up to �3 million ($A4.97 million) at an auction in France tomorrow.

Organisers of the sale in the town of Portets, in south-west France, are bracing for a flood of visitors. Auctioneer Eric Le Blay said bidding would start at between �1 million and �1.5 million but could reach double that.

This year is the 150th anniversary of Van Gogh's birth, fuelling public interest in his work. The troubled painter was derided by critics during his lifetime but has since set auction records.

The small oil-on-wood painting depicting farm labourers under a heavy sky was missing for nearly a century until an eagle-eyed man spotted it in a second-hand market near Paris and noticed the signature "Vincent" in a corner.

A controversy has erupted over the authenticity of the painting. The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has so far refused to give the work its stamp of approval. But Mr Le Blay said other experts and restorers were convinced it was authentic.

Van Gogh expert Benoit Landais said he was sure the painting was an original. He told Mr Le Blay it was painted in the Netherlands in 1883 and listed as No. 276 in an inventory made in 1890 after Van Gogh committed suicide.

"Then, from 1894 onwards, its trace was lost before it was found at the second-hand stall," Mr Le Blay said.

Van Gogh's Portrait of Doctor Gachet sold in 1990 for $US82.5 million, making it one of the most expensive paintings in the world.

- Reuters

'Van Gogh' authenticity stops auction
(Filed: 12/12/2003)

A painting attributed to Vincent Van Gogh which was found at a flea market 12 years ago has been withdrawn from auction after doubts were raised over its authenticity.

	Doubts exist over the authenticity of The Labourers

The painting 'The Labourers' was to have been the star item at an international sale in Bordeaux tomorrow, with a reserve price of two million euros.

The small oil-on-wood painting was discovered in Paris in 1991 where it was sold for less than €1,500 and originally pronounced a fake by the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam.

But the decision has been contested by French specialist Benoit Landais who has certified its authenticity.

Other experts and restorers have also said it is genuine. An Italian laboratory identified the pigments as dating from the 19th century and said the colours were identical to other Van Gogh paintings. The varnish also matched the type used by Van Gogh.

Auctioneers decided to halt the sale when the museum agreed to re-examine the work. "In the interest of transparency we prefer to postpone the sale," said auctioneer Eric Le Blay.

He said he hoped the move would calm a wave of controversy that has erupted over the work's authenticity.

"If the museum says that the painting is false, with convincing arguments, I shall hang up my hat and never occupy myself again with Vincent," Landais said.

Comments by vanrijngo below;

Is this the same art expert, Benoit Landais whom I myself was in contact with a year or so ago,.. who had mentioned to me that my painting of Vincent van Gogh's vase of Sunflowers was the best copy he had ever seen,...  that I should send him better pictures for verification? 

 Unfortunately our own communications had stopped and had came to an abrupt end, when he finally found out who he was dealing and communicating with.  Myself,...I would haft to say that he would be himself the more knowledgeable one, concerning Vincent van Gogh's works of art, rather than the ones who are now incharge of making theses multi-million dollar decisions.  Concerning what I will say next, the majority of my readers will haft to draw their own conclusions.