DETROIT — The purported owner of a Vincent van Gogh painting that was missing for six years until being found hanging on a wall at the Detroit Institute of Arts will appeal the dismissal of a lawsuit that sought to reclaim the rare artwork.
Aaron Phelps, a lawyer for Brazilian art collector Gustavo Soter and his art brokerage company, Brokerarte Capital Partners LLC, filed a notice of appeal Monday in federal court. The appeal is expected to be filed later with the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati.
The filing came three days after U.S. District Judge George Caram Steeh dismissed their lawsuit, saying the DIA did not have to hand over "Liseuse De Romans," also known as "The Novel Reader" or "The Reading Lady," which is temporarily on display in an exhibition that ended Sunday. The judge ruled the artwork is protected by a federal law granting immunity to foreign artwork on display in the United States.
