Art and lighting collector who founded the New York Academy of Art with Andy Warhol in 1979 says he rediscovered a Vincent van Gogh masterpiece long lost at auction in an unknown country.
New York collector Stuart Pivar says that the painting “Auvers, 1890”, in its original condition and signed on the back by “Vincent”, is a “unique find”. And the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam asked him to send it to them for immediate authentication.
The piece, if it is authentic, was probably painted in the last two months of the famous artist’s life. Van Gogh shot himself in a wheat field in July 1890, possibly in one of the fields featured in the painting, thinks Pivar.
Van Gogh obsessively painted more than 70 works during the last two months of his life in Auvers, on the outskirts of Paris.
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Pivar said: “This is what we consider the greatest art discovery in 100 years. It is the largest painting ever made by Van Gogh ”. [and] the only one that has done in square format. He is on his way to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, as they have asked to see and authenticate him.
“We consider it the discovery of the century. The amazing thing is that this painting has never been touched: it is still on its original stretcher. You would never see a painting from this era that has not undergone some kind of restoration ”.
“The French say that it is” In its own juice: “in its original juice, in its original state. This is the rarity of this piece ”.
An email sent from the Van Gogh Museum in Pivar, seen by Page Six, reads: “We sent you an email a few days ago stating that due to COVID-19 the museum and offices are closed and therefore not possible to request authentication. . “However,” We have decided to make an exception for you. ” The museum agrees to authenticate only a few paintings per year.
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The painting, signed and dated 1890, is a square panorama of the Auvers Valley, showing its mosaic of wheat fields cut in half by a railroad track. It also bears the label of Jonas Netter, one of the most influential collectors of the early 20th century, discovered by Amedeo Modigliani.
If authenticated, the 36 “by 36” work would be Van Gogh’s largest painting and his only painting in a square format.
Stuart Pivar says that the painting, “Auvers, 1890”, is in its original condition and signed on the reverse by “Vincent.” If authenticated, the 36 “by 36” work would be Van Gogh’s largest painting and his only painting in a square format, according to Page Six. (Photo by Laura Cavanaugh / FilmMagic)
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Pivar, 90, also a plastic chemistry scientist, is a voracious collector of important paintings by Rafael, Rembrandt, Rubens, Velázquez, Ribera, Goya, Watteau and Picasso, among others.
He launched his own investigation into the alleged van Gogh, with the help of Michael Mezzatesta, formerly at the Kimball Museum in Fort Worth and director emeritus of the Duke University Museum of Art.
Mezzatesta’s comment on the work says: “The painting is in perfect original condition, painted on coarse burlap consistent with those used by Van Gogh at the end of his career. century nails.
“The reverse of the canvas is signed ‘Vincent’ in very credible handwriting and what seems to me to be the date ‘1890’ translated in fugitive nut brown ink typical of many Van Gogh drawings.
“The label on the back of the stretcher was another revelation as it is listed as the property of Jonas Netter, one of the greatest Parisian collectors of the first decades of the 20th century.
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“The back of the canvas bears the numbers ‘2726’ (a possible inventory number?) In white chalk. The presence of a hitherto unidentified wax seal on the stretcher provides one more clue ”.
Pivar is coy about the provenance of the work and previous ownership, saying he bought the piece three months ago along with a small group of other works of art.
He said: “The origin of this image is of people who do not want to be identified. It comes from an obscure auction in North America. The people involved are not artisans and I promised not to reveal who they are. At some point, the story could emerge due to the importance of the image. “
Pivar spends much of his time searching for art in dark places and underground markets. “I track things and look at everything in the dark. I check all the available sources ”.
He added, without underestimating: “It is the only great artistic discovery made in our lives, apart from the occasional Caravaggio or something like that.”
“Although I am used to getting hold of colossal things [artworks]When I unpacked this, I was speechless, in absolute shock, to the point that I felt electrical waves go up and down my body. “
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