Masterpiece Portrait Lost For Decades Found 50 Years Later As A Prop In A Kid’s Movie
A classic Hungarian painting that was thought to be lost forever was found many years after last being scene by an art historian watching Stuart Little with his young daughter
When art is lost or stolen, hopes of ever recovering it diminish quickly. This is especially true as more time goes by. One of the most incredible stories of disappearing art being found occurred in 1999 when the Hungarian masterpiece portrait, Sleeping Lady with Black Vase, which had been missing since World War II, was recovered. This was thanks to one eagle-eyed art historian who noticed it being used as a prop in the background of the children’s film Stuart Little, which he was watching at the time with his three-year-old daughter at Christmas.
Hungarian Robert Bereny was the artist who did the oil painting called Sleeping Lady with Black Vase (Alvó nő fekete vázával). He completed this painting in 1927–1928 and sold it soon thereafter. Depicting the artist’s wife, the art deco piece was considered among the best works of Bereny. The painting was last seen in 1928 following its sale. Theories have been posited that the buyer was a Jew who either left the country when World War II hit…
