(±)1940s-1970s PAINTING BY DANISH PAINTER HENNING ELIMAR
MISTAKEN FOR UNKNOWN ART PIECE VINCENT VAN GOGH
LMI Group International (also since 2019 owner of this fisherman portrait) claims that 'ELIMAR' (lower right in the painting, and also on the bottom stretcher bar: 'Elimar') is a reference by Vincent van Gogh to a character in the story The Two Baronesses (1848) by Hans Christian Andersen. However, this name 'Elimar' actually appears to be the signature/surname of a 20th century Danish painter Henning Elimar (1928-1989). Also judging by the modest darkening (from natural ageing) of both the stretcher and the canvas' reverse, the painting should date to ca.1940s-1970s. Below I show my comparison image of the fisherman portrait and a landscape scene (also) signed 'Elimar'; when comparing style/technique and mainly sky's palette-knife strokes (I enlarged and 'enhanced' a square detail), it again appears clear that we are dealing with the same hand. Regardless, style, technique, use of color, etc. are really quite different from Van Gogh. ADDITIONAL POWERFUL CLUES/EVIDENCE AGAINST 'VAN GOGH' ARE: 1) THE CANVAS BACK AND STRETCHER WOOD ARE ONLY MODESTLY DARKENED (FROM NATURAL AGEING); 2) THE COMBINATION OF THE DOUBLE KEYS/WEDGES (8 TOTAL, ORIGINALLY) AND THE STRETCHER FRAME'S MITERED (= DIAGONAL) CORNER JOINTS. REALLY, THIS TYPE OF STRETCHER FRAME IS ONLY SEEN WITH PAINTINGS AFTER CA.1895-1900, THUS CA.5-10 YEARS AFTER VAN GOGH'S DEATH (1890). (ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE: PHOTOS AND VIDEOS HAVE MADE CLEAR THAT THE STRETCHER FRAME IS ORIGINAL TO THE CANVAS PAINTING WHEN IT WAS CREATED, THUS 100% UNDENIABLY PROVEN A 19TH CENTURY PAINTING!) (Please navigate down the comparison image for the 'Elimar' painting's reverse side showing the diagonally joint stretcher bars in combination with the double keys/wedges; this photo revealing the roughly mid 20th century modern stretcher frame is taken from LMI's report PDF-file page 244 of 458 total.)
LMI 'Project Highlights' (several articles on 'Elimar')
Comment on Reddit-platform by member 'Benzona': "It was painted by Henning Elimar worth about $50 and had about $30,000 figuring
it out [but without success shockingly - artnut.org]. All the while it is even signed by him in the corner."
Everything points to the same hand/maker, Henning Elimar: style, technique, use of color, sky's palette-knife strokes, and,
last but certainly not least, the 'ELIMAR' (which is expectedly an artist's signature, or at least 99.99% statistically).
Back of fisherman portrait: diagonal joints on stretcher bars combined with double keys/wedges was only first seen ca.1895-1900
(Van Gogh died in 1890). Also, canvas and stretcher appear (way) too little darkened (ageing) to be from Van Gogh's time.
Check back later this year 2025 for unseen genuine artworks by K. Appel, Y. Klein, L.S. Lowry, E. Bernard, P.A. Renoir, V. van Gogh.
