Behind the Scenes - Deadly Provenance

Self-Portrait Vincent Van Gogh, Arles, 1889

Self-Portrait Vincent Van Gogh, Arles, 1889

John at Saint-Paul Asylum in San-Rémy, Provence

John at Saint-Paul Asylum in San-Rémy, Provence

Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower

Musée Du Jeu De Paume, Paris

Musée Du Jeu De Paume, Paris

Lynne at Eiffel Tower

Lynne at Eiffel Tower

Notre Dame

Notre Dame

I’ve always been interested in wars, Civil War, World War I, World War II.  The Nazis have a particular fascination for many people.  I wanted to focus on their lesser known crimes — not less evil, however — the confiscation of art.  After reading (and seeing the documentary) The Rape of Europa, I decided to make this the theme of Deadly Provenance.  Also, I have a great love for Van Gogh, and wanted his works to be involved.  So my research took me to France where I visited the Jeu De Paume Museum, formerly a museum for impressionist works which are now housed at the D’Orsay.

Deadly Provenance centers on a missing Van Gogh painting (it actually is still missing today!) and the use of digital technology to locate the painting with only a simple photograph.