Who gets the Renoir landscape - the museum from which it was stolen in 1951, or the former physical education teacher, allegedly bought the painting for $ 7 at a flea market? We say "allegedly" because the whole story of "bloshinkoy"

Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Landscape banks of the Seine. 1879
Source: washingtonpost.com


March Fuqua, allegedly bought the work of Renoir
for $ 7 at a flea market
Photo 2010
Source: washingtonpost.com

One of the sensational stories of last fall - the find at the flea market paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir's "Landscape of the Seine» - took an unexpected turn . Let us briefly recall the plot. A certain American in July 2012 brought for examination to the auction house Potomack Company small landscape in a gilt frame. Experts gasped: "Renoir!". In the picture there was a plaque with the name of the master, on the back - Mark Parisian gallery Bernheim-Jeune. It is in this gallery in 1926, the work of Renoir bought American Herbert May, the husband of the famous collector of Maryland and patron of Sadie A. May. The picture was found in the catalog raisonné of the artist-. Everyone was happy, and most of all, of course, the mysterious owner, presents itself as "the girl with Renoir» («Renoir Girl»). According to her legend, it acquired the painting in 2009 at a flea market for $ 7. That's good luck! A few years after buying it gather dust landscape around somewhere in the garage or in the kitchen. And then a wise mother advised her daughter to take it for examination. And then it began. It was not clear just how the work of Renoir got from the collection of Herbert and Sadie Mae at the flea market. Be that as it may, the "Landscape of the Seine" is not found in the database of stolen art Art Loss Register, so with a clear conscience auctioned Potomack Company September 29, 2012 with an estimate of 75-100 thousand dollars. Such is the history of the tie.

Then things got even more interesting. Just before the bidding learned that this work in 1951, was stolen from the Baltimore Museum of Art . It turned out that Sadie Mae has provided work for rent this museum in 1937. But in November 1951, the painting was stolen from the museum. Preserved even a police report about the theft. Naturally, the work removed from the auction and confiscated lovers exploring the flea markets.

But "the girl with Renoir" was clearly not a blunder, she wrote a letter to the FBI to recognize the owner of its landscape. According to her, she had no idea about whose job it is, because it is quite far from art. To fight for its Renoir she had to reveal his identity. The present name of the "girls with Renoir" March Fuqua (Martha Fuqua) - 51-year-old former physical education teacher, now a leading private driving school in Lovetsville, Laundaun County, Virginia. It looks really far from the March of art, but it is not. It turned out that the mother of Martha - 84-year-old Marcia Fouquet (Marcia Fouquet) - artist, creating reproductions of works by famous artists, including Renoir. At Marcia Fouquet was once an art school, which helped her in March.

next round of stories - phone interview man who introduced Martha's brother, Matt Fuqua. The man has told The Washington Post, that he knew of Renoir, but about any flea market had. According to him, this picture is stored in the workshop of his mother last 50-60 years. Once there they spent cleaning, and suddenly his sister in March came across this picture and said she wanted to pick her up myself. That's it. No flea market. She found Renoir in the parent workshop. Matt also added that his sister and mother did not tell him that it's the original. However, when Matt got a call in the second and third time, he had already changed his mind. Now he confirmed the story about the sisters flea market. He even said that he gave his first interview he did not, and someone pretending to be him.

But that's not the end. Next to the FBI made contact auction house manager Quinn's Auction Galleries in Falls Church, Virginia. He told me that a few months before the whole world got a sensation about the find at the flea market Renoir, Martha Fuqua brought to his auction house to assess this very job. It was in the early summer of 2012. Here are just a legend about finding Renoir was quite different: the work allegedly came from some of the estate. And she was sure that this script. She talked about it directly, and even called the expected price - $ 1 million. When an appraiser told her the amount of 20-40 thousand dollars, she was clearly disappointed. In order not to lose a potential customer, she was offered an appointment with the director. But the meeting, appointed in mid-June, did not take place - Martha came and stopped responding to calls. A month later, on July 17, she first asked the auction house Potomack Company with his painting "from a flea market." It seems that Martha Fuqua will soon be bigger problems of loss of Renoir.

Prepared by Mary Onuchina, AI

Sources : washingtonpost.com , washingtonpost.com , artinvestment.ru