DETROIT — Federal appeals court judges Wednesday ordered Detroit Institute of Arts officials to hold onto a long-missing multimillion-dollar painting by Vincent van Gogh while a legal battle continues over its fate and rightful owner.
The order was filed less than a week after U.S. District Judge George Caram Steeh dismissed a lawsuit filed by the purported owner, Brazilian collector Gustavo Soter's art brokerage company, Brokerarte Capital Partners LLC. The company sued the DIA to recover "Liseuse De Romans," also known as "The Novel Reader" or "The Reading Lady," claiming that the painting had been stolen and missing for six years until being discovered hanging on the wall of the Detroit museum as part of the "Van Gogh in America" exhibition.
The exhibition ended Sunday and the painting's current location was unclear early Thursday.
