The lost Van Gogh: Painting found in Norwegian attic is confirmed as priceless work by Dutch master

A long-lost Vincent Van Gogh painting, the first full-size canvas by the Dutch master discovered since 1928, has been identified by the Dutch Van Gogh Museum .

Sunset at Montmajour depicts trees, bushes and sky with Van Gogh's familiar thick brush strokes. He described it in a letter to his brother, Theo, saying it was painted on July 4, 1888 'on a stony heath where small twisted oaks grow.'

Museum experts said it was authenticated by letters, style and materials used, and they had traced its history.

It is the first full-size canvas by the Dutch master discovered since 1928. The museum said the painting belongs to an unidentified private collector and will be on display at the museum from September 24

Director Axel Rueger described the discovery as a 'once-in-a-lifetime experience' at an unveiling ceremony.

The museum said the painting now belongs to an unidentified private collector and will be on display at the museum from September 24.

It did not disclose full details of how the painting had been recovered, but said that it had been owned by a Norwegian man who had been told it was not by Van Gogh, so he put it in the attic.

Mr Rueger said the museum had itself rejected the painting's authenticity in the 1990s, in part because it was not signed. But new research techniques and a two-year investigation had convinced them.

He added it has taken two years since the masterpiece was brought to them before they concluded that it was in fact an original Van Gogh.

Mr Rueger said the research involved technical and stylistic research and began with a visit the setting of the scene, in Arles, France, to look at whether the paining was an accurate representation of the landscape.

He said the palette used for this scene matched exactly the colours the researchers saw in Arles.

The three-man team of researchers then closely examined works created by Van Gogh one week after this piece, and found that they were painted on 'exactly the same kind of canvas'.

Comparing this piece to works painted at that time, Mr Rueger said 'the way that he handled the paint and how he painted the trees' were very similar for Van Gogh during this period.

Finally, the researchers examined the provenance of the work, and dug up old letters and inventory from a Van Gogh collection. Mr Rueger said this specific piece was described in two letters and was listed among Theo van Gogh's collection as number 180, and that number can still be seen on the back of the canvas. The work was sold in 1901.

Researcher Teio Meedendorp said he and other researchers 'have found answers to all the key questions, which is remarkable for a painting that has been lost for more than 100 years.'

Van Gogh Museum director Axel Ruger, left, and senior researcher Louis van Tilborgh, right, unveiled the newly discovered 'Sunset at Montmajour' by Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh during a press conference at the museum in Amsterdam, today

First public viewing: Members of the press got their first glimpse of the newest Van Gogh discovery - a scene from near the artist's home at the time in Arles, France

Vincent Van Gogh struggled with bouts of mental illness throughout his life, and died of a self-inflicted gun wound in 1890. He sold only one painting while he was alive, though his work was just beginning to win acclaim. The Van Gogh Museum, which houses 140 of his works, receives more than a million visitors annually, and Van Gogh paintings are among the most valuable in the world.

Mr Rueger described 'Sunset' as ambitious, because the canvas is relatively large, at 36.7 by 28.9 inches.

Van Gogh referred to the work in two other letters in the same summer it was painted, but he said he considered it a failure in several respects.

The location it depicts is near Arles, France, where Van Gogh was living at the time, near Montmajour hill, and the ruins of an abbey of the same name. The ruins can be seen in the background of the work, on the left side.

Researcher Mr Meedendorp said it belongs 'to a special group of experimental works that Van Gogh at times thought had lesser value than we tend to nowadays.'

The painting, which has changed hands several times since the Norwegian owner first came forward with it having removed it form his attic, will be on display at the museum in Amsterdam for a year.