From a true story, here is the film between auction houses and the international market of works of art. “The sunflowers” by Egon Schiele, dispersed in 1939, was miraculously rediscovered years later in the French province at a young worker’s house
At the beginning of the 2000s a painting by Egon Schiele, Sunflowershe was discovered in the house of a young chemical worker in the suburbs of Mulhouse, a town in the Eastern of France. He was a specialist of modern art who worked in a large international auction house to recognize him. He proved to be one of the works sacked by the Nazis and dispersed in 1939 in the chaos of the spoliations and destruction of the so -called “degenerate art”. This is the true story that gave the a The stolen picturefilm by the French director Pascal Bonitzerfrom 8 May in Italian theaters with Satine Film.
The plot de The stolen picture
With amused attitude, Bonitzer, who is also a screenwriter of the film, takes advantage of this fact of news to tell the world of Auction houses and the international market of works of art, relying on a Alex Lutz in great shape. It is he who played André Masson, auctioneer of the renowned Auction house Scottie’s. One day he receives a particular letter: he tells him the discovery of a painting by Egon Schiele in Mulhouse, at the home of a young worker. Rather skeptical, considering the improbability of being faced with one of those occasions that rarely happen in life, André still goes on the spot to take a look at the painting.
With great surprise he discovers that he is authentic: a masterpiece believed in 1939 since lost among the works confiscated by the Nazis. This event could mark the peak of his career but, at the same time, the pitfalls that are hidden behind the discovery of the painting could also endanger it. Thanks to the help of colleague and ex -wife Bertina (Léa Drucker) and of the bizarre and eccentric argument auror (Louise Chevillotte), André will do everything to try to ensure the painting the enhancement that deserves and also change one’s life.
The Egon Schiele you don’t expect
“With Egon Schiele we always expect nudes, those human figures tortured in a provocative style at the limit of Oscal; This is instead A fairly large landscapea field of sunflowers, although certainly always in the style of Schiele », reflects Bonitzer in the press notes. «I like this painting because you can project what you want on it. He remained for seventy years in a coal heated room, so when he was found he was very dirty ».
Luliana Lolic, collaborator of the script, has created about twenty interviews in the world of auctions: Bandners, gallery owners, collectors, antique dealers… “It is from this very abundant material that I extracted the story and I imagined a plot, the characters, such as the young internship, the ex -wife, the lawyer, the young worker, his friends and his mother,” said Bonitzer.
In this exclusive videoan extract from the film The stolen picture. The protagonists of the clip the young man (played by Arcadi Radeff) who found the painting, his mother (Laurence Côte), their lawyer (Nora Hamzawi).
