A Pittsburgh school has discovered that a painting that once hung in its administrator's office is actually a prized work by renowned French artist Le Sidaner (1862-1939).
 Le Sidaner's works, such as The White Garden at Twilight pictured here, are hugely collectible. Another of his paintings will be sold at Christie's on February 7 with a $110,000 high estimate |
Pittsburgh Public Schools is expected to make the decision today (January 23) on whether to sell the painting, with the piece estimated to be worth in the region of $400,000-600,000. It was originally donated by the Friends of Art, a Pittsburgh organisation that aims to inspire students and increase their awareness of art.
Entitled Interior, the painting - which depicts a doorway bathed in light - is now considered too valuable to be hung in the school. It will provide a great boost to the Pittsburgh art education programme and is likely to be sold due to Le Sidaner being French, while most of the collection is comprised of works by Pittsburgh artists.
The whereabouts of Interior have not been known for more than 80 years, after it was first acquired by The Friends of Art having being displayed at the 1933 Carnegie International art exhibition.
French impressionist work is constantly surfacing in the US, with a Pierre-August Renoir painting - valued at $100,000 - discovered by a Virginia woman at a local flea market in September 2012. Unfortunately for its finder, this was discovered to have been stolen and will be returned to the Baltimore Museum of Art.
Paul Fraser Collectibles has a brilliant signed letter from Renoir available, as well as another signed letter from Claude Monet - two of the the founding fathers of the French impressionist movement.
