A JAPANESE company has defended its ownership of Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers”, obtained at auction in 1987, after the family of its former owner filed a US lawsuit demanding its return.
The artwork — one of five original versions of the famous still life — was purchased by the predecessor of insurance firm Sompo Holdings at Christie’s in London for US$40 million (RM172,8 million), making it briefly the world’s most expensive painting.