Brazilian art collector claims Van Gogh’s painting on display at Detroit Institute of Arts was STOLEN from him and demands $5 million return for ‘A Novel Reader’
- Gustavo Soter acquired the painting Une liseuse de romans in 2017
- The art collector claims he has been searching for the painting for almost six years
- He filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday and the next hearing is Jan. 19
- The DIA exhibition “Van Gogh in America” shows 74 paintings by the Dutch artist
A Brazilian art collector has claimed that the Van Gogh painting ‘A Novel Reader’ on display at the Detroit Institute of Arts was stolen from him – and has urged the museum to return it.
Gustavo Soter filed a lawsuit in federal court on Tuesday, alleging that “Une liseuse de romans” — which he’s been looking for for nearly six years — is now worth $5 million, nearly $2 million more than when it was purchased.
Soter discovered the painting was owned by the DIA and was part of a “Van Gogh In America” exhibition featuring 74 paintings by the Dutch artist – which started in October and runs until January 22.
Gustavo Soter filed a lawsuit in federal court on Tuesday, alleging that the painting — “Une liseuse de romans” — that he spent nearly six years searching for is now worth nearly $2 million more than the one what he paid.
He said after purchasing the painting in 2017, he immediately transferred ownership — but not ownership — to a third party.
But he claimed the third party “escaped with the painting and has not known where it is for years,” according to the lawsuit obtained by .
But the lawsuit did not reveal who the third party was or why the painting was given to that person.
Soter is asking the museum to release the painting to him as soon as possible, but the judge ruled that it should not be removed from the DIA.
The next hearing is scheduled for January 19th.
Before the exhibition, museum staff collected additional paintings for the current exhibition.
The museum had owned six Van Gogh paintings – one of the paintings was the “Self-Portrait” painted by the artist in 1922. The DIA was the first American museum to purchase the painting for $4,200.
The museum has five Van Gogh paintings in its permanent collection. One of the paintings was the “Self-Portrait” painted by the artist.
The DIA acquired the painting in 1922, becoming the first public museum in the United States to acquire a Van Gogh, DIA spokeswoman Megan Hawthorne told .
The price of the painting was $4,200, Bloomberg reported.
Hawthorne said the DIA was made aware of a complaint filed Tuesday night and that the allegedly stolen painting was not part of the DIA’s in-house collection.
She said it was borrowed from another collection for her exhibition. The poster states that the painting was donated by a private collector in Sao Paolo, the news agency reported.
“The DIA has not been charged with any wrongdoing and there has been no request or order to change the exhibit,” Hawthorne said.
“The DIA will continue to act in accordance with all applicable laws and museum best practices.”
She added that the loan was accepted in accordance with best museum practices.
She added that by registering with the US Department of State, it is protected under applicable federal law.
Hawthorne said the DIA had been briefed on the upcoming hearing but said she could not comment on pending litigation.