GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Three Monet paintings, collectively valued at more than $45 million, were apparently destroyed last year in a house fire along Lake Michigan.
The Pentwater home burned for nearly an hour before firefighters were called and were able to locate the source of the smoke. Five paintings were allegedly destroyed and were pseudonymously identified in an insurance lawsuit as “Cliff,” “Path,” “Castle,” “Prairie,” and “River.”
New information uncovered in subsequent case filings indicates that these paintings probably included three works by Monet: “Prairie, ciel nuageux,” “La Route de Vetheuil,” and “Falaise a Varengeville.”
None of the three paintings were included on a list of artworks that survived the fire.
The owners of the paintings remain in a legal dispute over whether the paintings were added to their insurance policy. Emails exchanged between the insurance company and owners Matthew and Julie Halbower match the pseudonyms used in later litigation for the paintings, and appear to shed light on the works’ identities.
The cause of the fire remains undetermined, according to Pentwater Fire Chief Jonathan Hughart.
Leave a Comment
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.