Detroit Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Over Control Of Van Gogh Art

CBS Detroit

January 23, 2023

A judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit over control of an 1888 painting by Vincent van Gogh, saying federal law bars him from stepping into a dispute between a Brazilian collector and a Detroit museum.

The painting of a woman with a book, titled "The Novel Reader," is protected from seizure, and the Detroit Institute of Arts can't be ordered to give it up, U.S. District Judge George Caram Steeh said.

The painting has been part of a monthslong van Gogh exhibition that ends Sunday. Dozens of paintings by the Dutch master are on loan to the museum.

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