Van Gogh painting hidden in attics for years, now proved to be genuine

“Sunset at Montmajour” was believed to be a fake painting for years, hiding from public viewing in an attic. However, the Van Gogh Museum announced that the painting is indeed an authentic Vincent van Gogh masterpiece on Monday.

Before that, van Gogh full-size canvas has not been discovered since 1928.

Van Gogh completed this newly-discovered painting in Arles in 1888. In an interview with the New York Times, the director of the Van Gogh Museum, Axel Rüger described the painting as “a work from the most important period of his life, when he created his substantial masterpieces, like ‘Sunflowers,’ ‘The Yellow House’ and ‘The Bedroom.’”
Van Gogh painted a traditional landscape including the hills, fields and woods of Montmajour, Provence for his “Sunset at Montmajour” masterpiece.

After two years of scrutinizing investigation, the museum incorporated new techniques for idendifying and authenticating artwork. The Associated Press reports that the type of canvas, types of brush strokes, chemical analysis, X-ray tests and corresponding letter written by van Gogh to his brother all contributed to the assertion that the painting is in fact genuine.

Mr. Leeman, the historian, said that “In hindsight, many pointers in his letters and entries in catalogs of the 1900s have been linked to other paintings or misidentified,” historian Fred Leeman said. “Here, we see a painting that fits those descriptions exactly.”

This piece of art is extremely unique, as Van Gogh didn't typically paint with such a traditional influence. “We have the impression of van Gogh as a very modern painter, but here he’s working in the tradition of 19th-century landscape painting,” Rüger said.

Art dealer James Roundell continues by calling this discovery a “once-in-a-lifetime experience,” as “one or two early van Goghs do sometimes come out of the woodwork now and again, but from the mature period, it’s very rare.”

The museum will display the painting for one year starting September 24, but after that, it is unknown where the masterpiece will live.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons