The Van Gogh Museum announced that it has authenticated a long-lost Vincent Van Gogh painting that had languished for years in a Norwegian attic. It is the first full-size canvas by Van Gogh discovered since 1928.
The painting, “Sunset at Montmajour”, depicts a landscape of oak trees, bushes and sky. Van Gogh’s familiar thick brush strokes are clearly evident. It was painted in Arles, France, where Van Gogh was living at the time.
“Sunset at Montmajour” can be dated to the exact day it was painted because Van Gogh described the work in a letter to his brother, Theo, saying he had painted it on July 4, 1888.
Experts from the Van Gogh Museum authenticated the painting by Van Gogh’s letters, the style and the physical materials used.
The painting was initially rejected by the Van Gogh Museum in the 1990s, because it was not signed by the Dutch Master. But a new two-year investigation led the recent authentication.