Is This Rothko Real?
For nearly 30 years, a collector has been trying to prove his painting is a Rothko—potentially worth $20 million or more. Now, he’s got new evidence.
Douglas Himmelfarb spotted the painting in 1987 at an auction preview in South Los Angeles. The offerings that day were a mix of furniture and no-name artwork. This canvas was large and dirty, and depicted three rectangles of color stacked on top of one another. A handful of people stood clustered around it as someone pulled it off the wall and turned it around. On the back was a signature:
MARK ROTHKO
CAL. SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS
EX. NO. 7
A woman scoffed, Mr. Himmelfarb recalls: “Mark Rothko did not paint in California, and there is no such thing as the California School of Fine Arts.”
Author:
Source:
Wall Street Journal
Published: Apr 24, 2014
Length: 11 minutes (2,911 words)