ELKHART (AP) — A painting by French artist William Adolphe Bouguereau that has been missing for years has been found on a wall of an Elkhart home and will be auctioned next month.
Wes Cowan, president and principal auctioneer for Cincinnati, Ohio-based Cowan’s Auctions, told the Elkhart Truth the painting could sell for between $300,000 and $500,000. The painting is a portrait of a young girl standing in a garden, a piece completed in 1899.
Cowan said the painting was sold to Charles Gerald Conn of Elkhart, the founder of the famed C.G. Conn instrument making company, in 1909. Its whereabouts had been unknown for years. He said he received a tip about the painting’s location.
Cowan said the owner of the painting wants to remain anonymous.
