Could a previously unknown painting by Vincent van Gogh end up at an American garage sale? Following years of multidisciplinary research on the once unassuming canvas, a team of experts believes the answer is a resounding “yes.”
Did Van Gogh Paint Elimar?
Years ago, at a garage sale in Minnesota, an antiques collector purchased a painterly portrait of a fisherman for less than $50. Now, a team of experts is convinced the painting is a previously unknown work by Vincent van Gogh—making it worth millions. The possible Van Gogh painting, titled Elimar and dated 1889, depicts a pensive white-bearded fisherman with a pipe in his mouth and a round hat on his head, repairing his net along the shore. The word “Elimar,” presumably the man’s name, is written in the lower right corner of the canvas, which measures 18 by 16 inches.
If Van Gogh indeed painted Elimar, he would have done so between May 1889 and May 1890, during his voluntary stay at the Saint-Paul psychiatric sanitarium in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France. This was a turbulent time for the artist, during which he produced about 150 paintings in rapid succession. Among these are some of his best-known masterpieces, including The Starry Night and Almond Blossom.
How Do Experts Identify a Van Gogh Painting?
Get the latest articles delivered to your inbox
Sign up to our Free Weekly NewsletterLMI Group International, an art research firm based in New York, acquired Elimar for an undisclosed sum in 2019. Then, the firm assembled a team of about 20 experts—including curators, chemists, conservators, and patent lawyers—to study the painting from every angle. Now, a 458-page report reveals the extent of their research methods—as well as their fascinating findings. According to LMI Group International, “An exhaustive, multi-year investigation of the painting by experts in several fields has yielded the evidence required to identify Elimar as an autograph work by the artist.”
Among many other compelling connections between the painting and the artist’s known works, the report notes “striking similarities” between Elimar and Van Gogh’s final self-portraits, such as Self-Portrait with Pipe and Straw Hat. Additionally, the firm’s President of Scientific Analysis of Fine Art, Jennifer Mass, determined that the canvas’s thread count matched those made during Van Gogh’s time. She also dated the pigments present on Elimar to the time at which Van Gogh would have painted it.
Elimar Could Be Worth Millions
“The analysis conducted on this distinctive painting provides fresh insight into the oeuvre of Van Gogh, particularly as it relates to his practice of reinterpreting works by other artists,” said Maxwell L. Anderson, Chief Operating Officer of LMI group and former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “This moving likeness embodies Van Gogh’s recurring theme of redemption, a concept frequently discussed in his letters and art. Through Elimar, Van Gogh creates a form of spiritual self-portrait, allowing viewers to see the painter as he wished to be remembered.”
Elimar has yet to be officially attributed by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. If the museum gives its stamp of approval, the Van Gogh painting could be worth an estimated $15 million.
