THE DISCOVERY of a van Gogh tag under the stairs of the Old Teachers’ College gives rise to new theories about Australia’s art history.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
When New England Conservatorium of Music director Russell Bauer led tours of the space on Friday, that was used to hide priceless Australian art during WWII, he was shocked by what was found.
“One of the 160 tourists who came through on Friday night spotted something that others had missed for decades,” he said.
“Attached to part of the art grids in the vault are some small name-tags that are close to crumbling with age.
“One of them is extremely interesting, could this mean that, for a time, there was a van Gogh original stored in the basement?”
It’s the question on everyone’s lips, with two dominating theories at the moment.
The first, that the tag is the work of Howard Hinton, the famous patron of Australian art who kept the majority of his collection at the Old Teachers’ College.
The second, and more exciting, that the tag might just point to an original van Gogh hidden for years under the stairs.
More to come.
Anyone with information please email madeline.link@fairfaxmedia.com.au