Search for Treasure Worldwide Chapter 463: Shocking Robbery (please vote, please recommend)
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The shock lasted only a moment. Betty and the others immediately looked at Ye Tian, eagerly waiting for his comment to determine whether this was Daubigny's painting!
Ye Tian gave it up and asked another question.
"Mr. Walter, when you appraised this oil painting just now, your performance was very professional from beginning to end. You also have a deep understanding of the Barbizon School, and you have obviously done some research.
This is not something an art lover can do! More like a professional, have you ever worked in the field of art collecting? Auction house or museum? Or a gallery?
If you are not a collector or a related art major, then only in these industries can you have a large amount of exposure to top-notch artworks and develop the skills to quickly identify them, so I asked this question! "
Hearing Ye Tian's question, Betty and Logan couldn't help but look at their father.
They were also curious as to why their father suddenly had this skill. They really didn't know it before.
"Steven, your vision is really sharp, and you live up to your reputation! Yes, I did work in a museum, but that was more than twenty years ago.
Before I got married, I worked at the Gardner Museum in management for several years. It was during that time that I had access to a large number of top-notch works of art.
At that time, the Gardner Museum had its own art appraisal experts. I learned my appraisal knowledge from them. I only scratched the surface and could not be considered an appraisal expert at all.
And in the collection of the Gardner Museum, there are two Daubigny landscape paintings, which are in the same vein as this oil painting, so I am familiar with the Barbizon School and Daubigny!
If it were a work from another school of painting or another artist, I might not be able to identify it. This time it can only be said to be a coincidence, I happened to come across a relatively familiar piece of art."
Matthew explained the reason, and his face couldn't help but reveal an expression of recalling the past.
Evelin sitting next to him did the same, and gently held Matthew's hand, turning her head to look at her husband tenderly, her eyes full of affection!
Obviously, the Gardner Museum holds their fond memories.
"I see, no wonder you are so familiar with the Barbizon School! I know the Gardner Museum. There are indeed many top-notch works of art there, and those two paintings by Daubigny are quite good!"
Ye Tian suddenly said, the roots are here.
At this time, Betty suddenly interrupted and asked:
"Dad, why have I never heard you mention this experience? You have never shown your skills in art appraisal? Why didn't you do it at the Gardner Museum later?"
Matthew and Evelin couldn't help but change their expressions, and a trace of pain flashed in their eyes.
Obviously, this question is likely to touch upon their sad past!
After a moment's pause, Matthew adjusted his mood and began to answer Betty's questions.
"I did learn something when I worked at the Gardner Museum in those years. I also liked that job, and it was at the Gardner Museum that I met your mother!"
"Wow! It turns out that the Gardner Museum is the place where you fell in love. Come on, tell me how you caught up with my mother. I will also learn from you!"
Logan said in a hectic voice, instantly resolving Matthew and Evelin's unhappiness!
"Hahaha"
Everyone laughed, and Evelin glared at Logan with a smile on her face.
The laughter subsided a little, and Matthew continued:
"Everything was fine and life was peaceful until a shocking robbery occurred at the Gardner Museum on St. Patrick's Day in 1990, causing heavy losses. Since then, everything has changed!"
"I know about the shocking robbery. 13 top-notch works of art were looted from the Gardner Museum, worth as much as 500 million US dollars, which shocked the whole world.
And the whereabouts of those works of art are still unknown, no one knows where they are! Even if a reward of tens of millions of dollars is offered, no information can be obtained, no news at all! "
Ye Tian continued, with a hint of regret in his tone.
“500 million U.S. dollars? That was just the estimate in 1990. If it were put now, the combined value of the 13 top-notch works of art would be over 2 billion U.S. dollars at least!
Vermeer's "Concert" alone is now worth more than 500 million U.S. dollars, not to mention Rembrandt, Degas, and Manet, each of which is a top-notch work of art! unique!
The people who robbed the museum were a bunch of bastards. They actually cut Rembrandt's "Storm on the Sea of Galilee" from the frame with a knife. These **** should all be thrown into hell! "
Matthew said through gritted back molars, very angry.
"Wow! A top-notch piece of art worth 2 billion US dollars. Is this probably the biggest art robbery?"
Logan exclaimed, this guy is obviously more concerned about the market value of the artwork.
"That was indeed the largest art robbery in history. Unfortunately, the validity period of the lawsuit has now expired. Even if the robbers return the artworks, they will not be prosecuted!"
Ye Tian continued, with a look of helplessness on his face.
“After the robbery, the Gardner Museum was closed for a long time. Every staff member was investigated by the FBI countless times, including me. Those days were really difficult!
At that time, your mother and I had just gotten married, when life was under the most pressure. Under the difficult environment, we spent our whole lives arguing during that time! "
Matthew said in a low mood, while looking at Evelin apologetically.
Evelin replied with a bright smile, obviously she had put aside her grudge!
Hearing this, Ye Tian suddenly understood.
It turned out that it was because of this that they did not want to mention those days, and Betty and Logan knew nothing about it.
After a pause, Matthew continued:
"After the investigation was completed, the museum immediately carried out a major change of personnel. I left the Gardner Museum and changed several jobs before finally joining the Boston Public Library.
After leaving the museum, I never had the opportunity to touch top-level works of art, let alone appraise them, and I didn’t want to recall that experience, so I didn’t tell you.
I know very well what my appraisal level is. Except for those familiar works of art, I can’t even get started in other aspects, so I have never shown this level of appraisal skills."
Matthew explained the reason for leaving the Gardner Museum, and his expression quickly returned to normal.
After all, many years have passed, and no matter how painful the experience is, it should be faded away.
Then Matthew continued:
"Okay, let's not talk about it anymore, let Steven reveal the answer. I really want to know the information about this oil painting, and I also want to know whether my identification conclusion is correct!"
While speaking, he had already looked at Ye Tian, as did the others.
Ye Tian sorted out his thoughts for a moment, then said with a smile:
"Mr. Walter, congratulations, your identification is correct. This is indeed a landscape oil painting by Charles Francois Daubigny, a famous French landscape painter and representative of the Barbizon School.
But this is only his early work, painted after he first arrived in Italy at the age of 19. During this period, his painting style had not yet been formed and was still in the exploratory stage, and his works were still lacking.
Daubigny's painting style was fully formed and reached its peak when he was between the ages of 47 and 57. These 10 years were his heyday, and he created the most representative works!
In comparison, the oil painting in front of you is a little less interesting. It is not a top-notch work of art. It is just a pretty good work of art, but it is also worth collecting! "
Before he finished speaking, Matthew excitedly started pumping his fists in celebration.
"Wow! That's great! It's really Daubigny's landscape painting! It shows that I haven't lost what I learned and my eyesight is still there, which is worth celebrating!"
The other three were equally excited and cheered in celebration.
Not only for the beautiful and moving masterpiece in front of me, but also for Matthew’s suddenly revealed ability to appraise art works, and even more so for Ye Tian’s generosity!
After a short celebration, Logan immediately asked:
"Steven, how much is this oil painting worth? It must be expensive, right? It is a masterpiece after all!"
This is also a question that others are concerned about. When they heard Logan ask this, Betty and the others looked at Ye Tian, and everyone's eyes were full of expectation.
Ye Tian didn't hide anything and said the answer with a smile.
“This is a work from the early stage of Charles Daubigny’s artistic career. Naturally, it cannot be compared with the works in his heyday, and the market value will be much lower, not reaching the price of top-level works of art.
Based on the market conditions, the size of the painting, and the depreciation caused by improper maintenance, I estimated the painting to be between US$500,000 and US$800,000.
If it were put up for auction, it might fetch about 1 million US dollars, but it couldn't be any higher. Of course, it's not ruled out that someone suddenly goes crazy and buys this oil painting in a big way! "
"$800,000! It is indeed a masterpiece. An early work painted by a 19-year-old is so expensive. It's crazy."
Logan exclaimed, his eyes looking at the oil painting suddenly became hotter, even a little hot!
The same was true for Matthew and Evelin, both looking at the oil painting in shock.
It’s just an oil painting of a landscape, but it can actually be worth the income of my entire family for nearly eight or nine years. It’s incredible!
Contrary to them, Betty's expression quickly returned to normal.
She has seen too many antique works of art worth 800,000 US dollars. There are several pieces on the table in the study room of her New York apartment!
She has seen many top-notch antique artworks that exceed US$800,000, so naturally she won’t be excited about the price of the oil painting in front of her!
Ye Tian did not pause and continued to say with a smile:
“For me, the cost of this landscape oil painting is not high. This is a painting I picked up at the New York antique market some time ago. It didn’t cost much, only 4,000 US dollars.
And I am a professional treasure hunter. I have good eyesight and good luck. I will definitely find many such works of art in the future. I am very sure of this! "
Hearing this, Matthew and the others nodded.
The guy in front of me really has great eyesight, he is almost becoming an American antique dealer’s nightmare!
After a pause, Ye Tian continued:
"So when I came to Boston this time, I brought it here to give to Mrs. Walter. I hope you won't refuse and accept this gift. I also hope you like this gift!
You don’t have to worry about safety issues. There is no author’s signature on this painting. As long as you don’t tell anyone, it will be difficult for ordinary people to recognize that this is Daubigny’s work, let alone its value!
If you don’t want to continue collecting that day and want to cash in on this oil painting, just send it to a top auction house like Sotheby’s, and you will definitely get a nice surprise! "
After finishing speaking, Ye Tian gently held Betty's hand and looked at Matthew and the others with a smile.