A judge on Wednesday ordered a Detroit museum to hold onto a painting by Vincent van Gogh in response to a lawsuit by its owner.
The 1888 work, titled “The Novel Reader” or “The Reading Lady,” is part of the rare “Van Gogh in America” exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) that ends on Jan. 22.
According to the suit, Brokerarte Capital Partners LLC and its sole proprietor, Gustavo Soter of Brazil, acquired the painting in 2017 for $3.7 million, but a “third party” took possession of the art and it has allegedly been missing for nearly six years.