Possible Vincent van Gogh painting found at Minnesota garage sale sold for $50

Experts at a New York-based art data science firm have made a groundbreaking discovery that a long-lost piece by Vincent van Gogh was sold at a garage sale in Minnesota. The firm, LMI Group International, recently published a 450-page report detailing their investigation into a painting called “Elimar,” which they believe to be an original van Gogh masterpiece.

The painting was purchased for a mere $50 at a Minnesota garage sale in 2016 and is now estimated to be worth as much as $15 million. According to experts, the painting was likely created by van Gogh during his time as a patient at the Saint-Paul sanitarium in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence between May 1889 and May 1890. The canvas features the letters “E L I M A R” on the front.

Described as an “emotionally rich, profoundly personal work,” the portrait measures 45.7 by 41.9 centimeters and showcases van Gogh reimagining himself as an older, wiser man standing by the ocean. The painting depicts a somber-looking man with a pipe in his mouth and a fur hat, evoking van Gogh’s fascination with life at sea. The report highlights stylistic elements consistent with van Gogh’s other self-portraits painted in 1889.

Further analysis revealed a strand of red hair embedded in the corner of the painting, confirmed to belong to a male. Scientists also identified a finish made of egg white, a material known to have been used by van Gogh in his works. Despite these findings, the Van Gogh Museum has denied the painting’s connection to the artist based on stylistic features.

LMI Group President Lawrence M. Shindell emphasized the firm’s data-based approach to verifying the painting’s origin, stating that it represents a new standard of confidence in uncovering unknown or forgotten works by important artists. By combining science, technology, connoisseurship, historical context, formal analysis, and provenance research, the firm aims to enhance art authentication methods and shed light on undiscovered masterpieces.

While the Van Gogh Museum has not publicly commented on the findings, LMI Group’s innovative approach to art authentication has sparked intrigue within the art community. The revelation of a potential van Gogh original hidden in plain sight at a garage sale serves as a testament to the enduring allure of art history and the ongoing quest to uncover hidden treasures.