NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - A New York art collector is suing The Van Gogh Museum over its refusal to authenticate a painting he says he would be worth $300 million.
Stuart Pivar filed his complaint in August in New York County Supreme Court, and the museum, located in Amsterdam, removed the case to New York federal court in November. A month later, it filed a motion to dismiss.
The suit says Pivar purchased a Vincent van Gogh painting titled "Auvers, 1890" in March 2021 and submitted an authentication request to The Van Gogh Museum in May. He sent pictures of the painting over email.
In August, the museum issued a report that said the painting was not authentic, even though Pivar had declared it the find of the century.
"At no time did the defendant seek to view the actual painting or engage the plaintiff in obtaining scientific or forensic tests of the painting's paint surface, canvas or other physical elements..." the suit says.
The fair market value has been reduced from $300 million to nothing, the suit says.
A Dec. 21 motion to dismiss says Pivar is bound, by agreeing to the museum's terms when he sought its opinion, to litigate disputes in Amsterdam. That forum selection clause should be enough to kick the case out of New York, the museum says.