DETROIT (WWJ) - An art collector from Brazil sued the Detroit Institute of Arts on Tuesday over a Vincent van Gogh painting that he claims has been missing for nearly six years before it was discovered hanging in the museum's "Van Gogh in America" exhibition.
The lawsuit by Gustavo Soter's art brokerage company, Brokerarte Capital Partners LLC, says the lost oil painting "Liseuse De Romans" — also known as "The Novel Reader" or "The Reading Lady" — sparked an international hunt to reclaim the rare piece worth an estimated $5 million.
The DIA's Van Gogh's exhibit began in October of 2022 and runs through Jan. 22. Phelps said he personally visited the museum on Jan. 5 and discovered the painting in question among the 74 works on display.
"Immediate action is urgently needed," Soter's lawyer, Aaron Phelps, wrote in the lawsuit as reported The Detroit News. "If the DIA moves the painting or surrenders possession to a third-party, plaintiff will lose the chance to recover the painting, for which it has been searching for years."
In the suit, Soter's lawyers included a photograph of the painting currently hanging on the museum's display. Name cards next to the artwork usually depicts who owns the piece, but the sign next to the painting in question only reads: "Private collection, São Paulo."
In a statement provided to The Detroit News, the DIA said they were aware of the complaint and stated the museum follows "best practices" before agreeing to display artwork on international loan.
This includes researching the owner through the Art Loss Register and the U.S. Federal Register, The Detroit News reported.
"This evening the DIA was made aware of a complaint filed with respect to a work of art currently on loan to the DIA. The DIA has not yet been served with the complaint and cannot comment on the matter," museum officials said on Tuesday evening.
Soter's lawyers provided a bill of sale in the lawsuit, claiming that the Brazilian art collector purchased the "Liseuse De Romans" from Torrealba Holdings Ltd. for $3.7 million back May 3, 2017.
The lawsuit says the purchase of the Van Gogh painting by a private collector was a "rare opportunity."
"Because of Van Gogh's renown, many of his works are owned by museums or other public entities, which limits the number of paintings available for private ownership," Phelps wrote in the lawsuit. "Intense demand for Van Gogh's art among private collectors, coupled with the ever-decreasing number of works available for circulation on the open market, means that paintings by Van Gogh inevitably increase in value."
As outlined in the lawsuit provided by The Detroit News, he transferred possession, but not a title, to a third party that was not identified. Additional details were not provided in the lawsuit.
"This party absconded with the painting, and plaintiff has been unaware of its whereabouts for years," Phelps wrote. "Since plaintiff purchased the painting in May 2017, plaintiff has not known the location of the painting."
That is, until someone took a picture of the piece hanging here in Detroit.
Soter is now asking that the DIA do one of two things: either turn the painting over to him immediately or keep it until the lawsuit can be settled. If neither can be done and the piece is returned to the third party when the exhibit ends in 11 days, the art collector fears the painting will disappear once again.
"When the exhibition ends, the painting will be moved from the DIA's possession and will no longer be accessible to plaintiff," Phelps added.