The shock was only a matter of moments, Betty and the others immediately looked at Ye Tian, eagerly waiting for him to comment to determine if this was a painting by Dobbini!

Ye Tian sold it and asked another question.

"Mr. Walter, when you appraised this painting just now, you were quite professional from beginning to end, and you also had a deep understanding of the Barbizon School, and obviously studied it.

It's not something that an art lover can do! It's more like a professional, have you ever worked in art collecting, auction house, museum, or gallery?

If you are not a collector and related art majors, then only in these industries can you have access to a large number of top-level artworks and practice a quick appraisal skill, so I have this question!"

Hearing Ye Tian's question, Betty and Logan couldn't help but look at their father.

They were also curious about how their father suddenly had this skill, and they really didn't know before.

"Steven, you've got a very sharp eye, and you live up to your name! Yes, I did work in museums, but that was more than twenty years ago.

Before I got married, I worked for several years at the Gardner Museum as a managerial worker, and it was during that time that I was exposed to a large number of top-notch artworks.

At that time, the Gardner Museum had its own art appraisal experts, and I learned this bit of appraisal knowledge from them, but it was just a little scratch of the surface, and I was not an appraisal expert at all.

Moreover, in the collection of the Gardner Museum, there are two landscape paintings by Dobini, which are in the same vein as this oil painting, so I will be familiar with the Barbizon School and Dobini!

If it were a work by another school or another artist, I would probably not be able to recognize it, but this time it can only be said that it was a coincidence, and I happened to come across a fairly familiar artwork."

Matthew explained why, and his face couldn't help but show a look of nostalgia for the past.

Evelyn, who was sitting next to him, did the same, and gently held Matthew's hand, turned her head and looked at her husband gently, her eyes full of affection!

Obviously, Gardner Museum has fond memories of them.

"I see, no wonder you're so familiar with the Barbizon School! I know the Gardner Museum, there are indeed quite a few top-notch works of art there, and those two paintings by Dobigini are quite good!"

Ye Tian suddenly said, the root is here.

At this time, Betty suddenly interjected and asked:

"Dad, how come I never heard you mention this experience? You never showed your art appraisal skills, why didn't you work at the Gardner Museum after that?"

Matthew and Evelyn couldn't help but change their faces, and a hint of pain flashed in their eyes.

Obviously, this question may well have touched on their sad past!

After a moment's pause, Matthew adjusted his mood and began to answer Betty's questions.

"I did learn something when I was working at the Gardner Museum in those years, and I loved that job, and it was at the Gardner Museum that I met and met your mother!"

"Wow! It turns out that the Gardner Museum is your place of love, hurry up and tell me how you caught up with my mother, and I'll learn about it too!"

Logan said in a coaxing manner, instantly resolving the unhappiness of Matthew and Evelyn!

"Hahaha"

Everyone laughed, and Evelyn glared at Logan, smiling all over her face.

The laughter subsided slightly, and Matthew continued:

"Everything was fine and life was peaceful, until St. Patrick's Day in 1990, when a shocking robbery occurred at the Gardner Museum and caused heavy losses, and since then, everything has changed!"

"I know that the Gardner Museum was looted with 13 top-notch works of art worth $500 million and shook the world.

And the whereabouts of those works of art are still unknown, no one knows where they are! Even if a reward of tens of millions of dollars is offered, no information is obtained, and there is no news!"

Ye Tian continued, with a bit of regret in his tone.

"$500 million? That's just the 1990 estimate, and if you put it in now, the 13 top works of art together are worth more than $2 billion, to say the least!

Vermeer's "Concerts" alone are now worth more than $500 million, not to mention Rembrandt, Degas, and Manet, each of which is a top-notch work of art!

The people who robbed the museum were a bunch of bastards who cut Rembrandt's "Storm of the Sea of Galilee" off the frame with a knife, and these bastards should all be thrown into hell!"

Matthew said through gritting his back molars, very angry.

"Wow! $2 billion worth of top-notch art, this is probably the biggest art heist, right?"

Logan exclaimed that the kid was clearly more concerned about the market value of the art.

"It was indeed the biggest art robbery of all time, but unfortunately, now that the lawsuit has passed, even if the robbers send those works back, they will not be prosecuted!"

Ye Tian continued, with a helpless expression.

"After the robbery, the Gardner Museum was closed for a long time, and every staff member was investigated by the FBI countless times, including me, and it was a really difficult time!

And during that time, it was the time when your mother and I had just gotten married, and our lives were the most stressful, and under the difficult environment, we quarreled all our lives during that time!"

Matthew said in a low mood, looking apologetically at Evelyn.

Evelyn gave him a big smile back, apparently gone!

Hearing this, Ye Tian was suddenly stunned.

It turned out that it was because of this that they were reluctant to mention those days, and Betty and Logan didn't know anything about it.

After a pause, Matthew continued:

"After the investigation, the museum immediately underwent a major change, and I left the Gardner Museum, changed jobs several times, and finally entered the Boston Public Library.

After I left the museum, I never had access to top art, let alone authentication, and I didn't want to reflect on that experience, so I didn't tell you.

I know very well what my level of appraisal is, except for those familiar artworks, I can't even talk about getting started, so I have never shown this appraisal skill."

Matthew explained why he had left the Gardner Museum, and his expression quickly returned to normal.

After all, many years have passed, and even the most painful experience should be faded.

Matthew then went on to say:

"Okay, let's not talk about it, let Steven find out, I want to know about this painting, and I want to know if my conclusion is correct!"

As he spoke, he had already looked at Ye Tian, and the rest of the people were the same.

Ye Tian sorted out his thoughts a little, and then said with a smile:

"Congratulations, Mr. Walter, you have been right, this is indeed a landscape oil painting by Charles François Dobini, a famous French landscape painter and representative of the Barbizon School.

But this is only his early work, which he painted when he arrived in Italy at the age of 19, when his painting style had not yet been formed, it was still in the exploratory stage, and his works were still lacking.

Dobigini's painting style was fully formed and reached its peak between the ages of 47 and 57, and these 10 years were his heyday, and the works he created were the most representative!

In comparison, the oil painting in front of you is a little bit less meaningful, it is not a top-notch work of art, it is just a pretty good work of art, but it is also worth collecting!"

Before the words fell, Matthew was already excitedly waving his fists in celebration.

"Wow! It's amazing! It's really a landscape painting by Dobigny! It shows that I haven't lost what I've learned, and my eyesight is still there, which is worth celebrating!"

The other three were equally excited, cheering and celebrating.

Not only for the beautiful and moving masterpiece in front of him, but also for Matthew's sudden revelation of the art appraisal ability, but also for Ye Tian's generosity!

After a brief celebration, Logan immediately asked:

"Steven, how much is this oil painting worth? It must be expensive, isn't it? It's a masterpiece, after all!"

This is also a question that other people are concerned about, hearing Logan ask this, Betty and they all looked at Ye Tian, and everyone's eyes were full of expectation.

Ye Tian didn't hide it, and said the answer with a smile.

"This is a work from the early part of Charles Dobini's career, so naturally it cannot be compared with the works of its heyday, and the market value will be much lower, and it will not reach the price of a high-quality artwork.

Based on market conditions, the size of the painting, and the depreciation caused by improper maintenance, I estimate the painting at between $500,000 and $800,000.

If it is sent to auction, it may be able to fetch about $1 million, but it is unlikely to be higher, and of course, it is not excluded that someone will suddenly go crazy and buy this oil painting in a big way!"

"$800,000! It's crazy how expensive an early work from a 19-year-old is so expensive."

Logan exclaimed, and his eyes suddenly became even hotter when he looked at this oil painting, and even a little hot!

Matthew and Evelyn were the same, looking at the painting in shock.

It's just a landscape oil painting, and it can be worth the income of my entire family for nearly eight or nine years, which is incredible!

Contrary to them, Betty's expression quickly returned to normal.

She's seen too many $800,000 worth of antique art, and there are several on the table in her New York apartment study!

She has seen a lot of top-quality antique artworks that are far more than 800,000 US dollars, so naturally she will not be excited about the price of this oil painting in front of her!

Ye Tian did not pause, and continued to smile and said:

"For me, the cost of this landscape painting is not high, it is a leak that I picked up in the New York antique market some time ago, and it didn't cost much, only $4,000.

And I'm a professional treasure hunter, I think I have a good eye, and I'm very lucky, I'm sure I'll find a lot of such artworks in the future, I'm very sure of that!"

Hearing this, Matthew and the others all nodded.

The eyesight of this guy in front of him really doesn't have to be said, it's about to become a nightmare for American antique dealers!

After a pause, Ye Tian continued:

"So this time I'm here in Boston, and I'm going to give it to Mrs. Walter, and I hope you don't shirk it, and I hope you like it!

You don't have to worry about safety, there is no author's signature on this painting, as long as you don't say it, it will be difficult for ordinary people to recognize that this is the work of Dobigini, let alone know its value!

If you don't want to continue collecting and want to monetize this painting that day, just send it to a top auction house like Sotheby's, and you're sure to get a nice surprise!"

After finishing speaking, Ye Tian gently held Betty's hand and looked at Matthew and them with a smile.