'Never before seen Van Gogh painting' found at flea market

According to ARTnews on January 29, Art Research CompanyLMI Group International, New York, released a 458-page document identifying the oil painting as Elimar. is a work by Vincent Van Gogh (1853 - 1890). 20 experts from many fields including chemistry, curation, intellectual property law were commissioned to carry out a 4-year long appraisal process to reach this conclusion.

In 2019, LMI bought the painting to find out its origin but did not disclose the purchase price. Previously, the painting belonged to an anonymous antique collector who had bought the work for $50 at a flea market in 2016.

Based on the characteristics of the canvas, paint quality and other details, researchers concluded that the work was created in 1889 - the time when Van Gogh was being treated at the Saint-Paul Psychiatric Hospital in the South of France. This period was also when the artist created a number of masterpieces such asAlmond flower(Almond Blossom, 1890),Iris(Irises, 1889),Starry Night(The Starry Night, 1889).

The team found fibres on the canvas and most of the paint matched those produced during Van Gogh's lifetime. They also found a hair entangled in the painting, which they determined belonged to a man. However, they had difficulty comparing the DNA with Van Gogh's descendants due to the "degradation" of the hair over time.

According to LMI, Elimar is based on a work by Danish artist Michael Ancher (1849 - 1927), one of many "versions" Van Gogh made of other artists' paintings. "The analysis of this particular painting provides a fresh perspective on Van Gogh's career, especially as it relates to his reinterpretation of other artists' works," said Maxwell L. Anderson, executive director of LMI.

Despite the team’s comprehensive analysis, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, has not recognized the work as the artist’s. In December 2018, the previous owner asked the unit to confirm that the painting belonged to Van Gogh, but was refused. Regarding the latest research results, a representative of the museum responded via People. said on January 31 that it had "considered the new facts mentioned in the LMI group report", but maintained its previous position. The news agency said that if Elimar was indeed painted by Van Gogh, the value of the work could reach $15 million.

Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch impressionist painter, influenced by Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Pissarro and Gauguin. He is famous for his works:Sunflowers, Portrait of Dr. Gachet, Self-Portrait, Starry Night, Iris.

He worked as an international art dealer, teacher, and missionary before becoming a painter at the age of 27. He painted more than 900 paintings in 10 years but remained poor, living on his brother's allowance. He committed suicide at the age of 37. At the time of his death, Van Gogh was still an unknown name in the European art world, but his paintings are now among the most expensive in the world.