“I am 100% convinced it is a Vincent van Gogh”

What could be a third portrait of Vincent van Gogh’s physician is currenlty stashed in a bank vault in Athens. It is believed this could be the last painting van Gogh produced, according to some art experts and collectors who are attempting to determine the authenticity of the picture found among the possessions of a Greek world war two resistance fighter.

(The portrait of Dr Paul Gachet that hangs in the Muse?e d’Orsay Photograph: Alfredo Dagli Orti)

The owner of the alleged van Gogh, Doretta Peppa, said the portrait’s colourful history began in France when the Nazis stole it from a Jewish family during the second world war. After Hitler’s forces marched into Greece in April 1941 it was brought to Athens, an exhibition centre for looted treasures. “A well-known institution will soon make an announcement about its historical background that will leave no doubt it is an original work by Van Gogh,” added Peppa. As the identity of its Jewish owners has not been revealed, and no one has come forward to reclaim it, under Greek law it belongs to Peppa. Experts have valued the work at $100 million.

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