The Londoner: A Van Gogh painting may lurk in London

An art expert has suggested that there may be a hidden Vincent Van Gogh painting worth millions of pounds lurking somewhere in London. Martin Bailey has unearthed a letter written by Van Gogh’s art dealer brother Theo that refers to an unaccounted for “self-portrait” being sold to a buyer in London in 1888.

The possible sale is a surprise, as Van Gogh was thought to have sold only one of his paintings in his lifetime, becoming world famous only after his death. The correspondence is dated October 3, 1888 and appears in a little-known Dutch book on Van Gogh published in 1964 by Belgian specialist M.E. Tralbaut.

Van Gogh scholar Bailey believes the letter is genuine, as it is in Theo’s handwriting and addressed to a London dealer he did business with. Bailey writes for the Art Newspaper and was co-curator of the Tate Britain’s exhibition Van Gogh and Britain last year. He told The Londoner: “Van Gogh’s self-portraits provide a real insight into his marvellous art and his extraordinary personality. It would be wonderful surprise if it appears and is authenticated.”

Van Gogh, who was born in 1853, has history in London. He lived in Stockwell for two years in his 20s, working for an art dealer. He moved around Europe before returning to the South of France in 1888, where he completed most of his most famous works quickly before tragically committing suicide two years later. This week, an 1889 self-portrait was validated as real by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. It is thought to be the only picture the artist made while suffering from psychosis.

If a work in London surfaced it would be sure to make a large sum at auction.A self-portrait confirmed to have been painted in 1888 sold for £44 million at Christie’s in New York in 1998, and art prices have risen considerably since then. Londoners should start searching their attics.

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Selling youth short

Michael Morpurgo sprinkled a dash of vinegar into his acceptance speech at last night’s Nielsen awards ceremony. Morpurgo was picking up a hall of fame accolade at the bash where awards are based on sales volumes. The War Horse author told the audience: “I’m not sure the millions are worth celebrating when we have millions of children who don’t read.”

Morpurgo said that though it was “a lot of fun having prizes... it is the truth that there are millions of children who leave primary school functionally illiterate. We’re not getting through, we mustn’t congratulate ourselves”.

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Not a bad guestlist, if you can get it. Tony Blair, Ivanka Trump, Senator John Kerry, Google’s Sundar Pichai, Jaden Smith, Priyanka Chopra and Lily Cole all partied at the Bank of America (RED) bash hosted by CEO Brian Moynihan and former Apple designer Sir Jony Ive in Davos House, the golf club that Matthew Freud turns into a cool hangout for the week.Magician David Blaine entertained guests by sewing his mouth shut.

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Channel 4 news anchor Jon Snow extols the glory of motorbike taxis. “There are only eight of them,” he tells us, “because the black cabs have seen them off. I have a wonderful rapport with the drivers. I can give you their number if you like.”

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Sympathy for the other Austen girl

“As a less interesting sister myself, I’d been determined to write this story of the less interesting sister,” Gill Hornby tells us at the star-studded launch of her book Miss Austen, about Jane Austen’s sibling Cassandra. “I’m the Princess Anne or the Prince Philip of the literary world,” she said. “I’ve always felt less famous than my brother [Nick Hornby] and my husband [Robert Harris]. “I’m always slightly batted out of the way when people want to talk to them. So I immediately had sympathy with Cassandra Austen.”

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Sushi still raw for nostalgic Neneh

Neneh Cherry feels “so undone and unfinished” despite hosting the 30th anniversary party of her album Raw Like Sushi with i-D last night. But the Swedish singer-songwriter also told The Londoner: “I haven’t sat down myself and thought, ‘That was a really important record.’ I don’t really think of it like that. It’s just one of my babies. Listening to it is a bit like opening a diary. As you get older, I think that you realise how important it is to celebrate certain things in your life.” Presenters Miquita Oliver and Clara Amfo also attended the celebration at The London EDITION in Fitzrovia. They were joined by singer-songwriter Grace Carter and models Edie Campbell, Wilson Oryema, and Charli Howard.

The partying took its toll, as Omar had to sit down to take a break from her “really uncomfortable” shoes, and Amfo undid the top button of her trousers, telling The Londoner: “I’ve had so much mac and cheese.”

SW1A

Nicky Morgan’s infamous handbag could be coming to a museum near you. Following a row with Downing Street in 2016 about Theresa May’s £995 leather trousers, Morgan was criticised for owning a £950 handbag. She tried to lie low, but when she stood up Have I Got News For You, the show sat the bag in her place. Now, she tells Nick Robinson’s Political Thinking, “I’ve offered the handbag to the V&A. They’re doing an exhibition on handbags. But I haven’t had a response yet.”​

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Poor Jess Phillips. The night before she pulled out of the Labour leadership race, one of our moles watched her being introduced at a leadership event in the Royal Vauxhall Tavern by a local Labour man who was “absolutely unintelligible”. “He was pausing and made no proper points,” our source says. “One of Jess’s staff was visibly annoyed by it, asking him to wrap up over and over.” Enough to make anyone despair.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

‘It works like any other government. We don’t need a special meeting room’

Finnish Prime Minister​ Sanna Marin responds after she was asked how her coalition with five female leaders functions.