Lawyer for man seeking return of Van Gogh work from Yale says it’s worth up to $150 million
By John Christoffersen, APFriday, January 22, 2010
Lawyer: Yale’s disputed Van Gogh worth up to $150M
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — An attorney for a man seeking to take a Vincent Van Gogh painting from Yale University tells The Associated Press the artwork is worth $120 million to $150 million.
The evaluation is the first public estimate of the painting’s value in the case. Layer Allan Gerson says the appraisal comes from a top auction firm.
Gerson represents Pierre Konowaloff, the purported great-grandson of industrialist and aristocrat Ivan Morozov. Morozov bought “The Night Cafe” in 1908.
Russia nationalized Morozov’s property during the Communist Revolution, and the Soviet government later sold the painting. It has been hanging in the Yale University Art Gallery for almost 50 years.
A Yale spokesman said the university could not offer a value of the painting.
