Gallery Fake

Synopsis

A dealer asks $20 million Van Gogh's Dorfstrasse at Sainte-Maries from Fujita Reiji who offers only $2000 for the painting, claiming that it is a fake. Later, Fujita travels to New York with Sara Halifa to attend a Sotheby's art auction. At the pre-auction inspection, he encounters Mitamura Sayoko who accuses him of dealing with original art works on the black market. Fujita is attracted by a Monet haystack painting End of Summer Morning. There they meet Fujita's former co-worker Max Watson at the MET, who is conducting the auction. Later, Fujita meets Kain Aubrey who had been the underbidder in recent auctions and offers to act as his broker for the haystack painting. Aubrey initially refuses, then agrees, setting a limit of $10 million for the painting which 15 years earlier had been re-attributed by Max Watson and sold cheaply to Bill Travers. At the auction, Sara bids for Fujita. After the bidding reaches $10 million, Fujita goes to $30 million, beating and frustrating the other bidder, Bill Travers. However the eventual purchaser is Kain Aubrey who promises to donate the painting to the MET on his death.

(Source: Wikipedia)