The Van Gogh Deception

Part 2 opens with an epigraph from Vincent van Gogh’s letter to his brother, Theo, where he states that every heart has a “great and vigorous faith” that helps one navigate the future (80). 

The chapter begins with Kim Yoon, the executive assistant to the National Gallery’s director. The narrative provides a brief history of both the National Gallery’s foundation by Andrew Mellon and the board of trustees’ members of private citizens and high government officials. Yoon organizes a meeting for the board of trustees and is nervous that one of its most stringent members, the fictional US Secretary of State Damon Sacks, may not appear. To Yoon’s relief, Sacks arrives precisely at 4 o’clock in the evening, as scheduled.

At the same time, Art strolls through the museum with the Sullivans and takes his time to reach the room where he was discovered. He recognizes the statue of Mercury in the rotunda and notices the dark clouds through the skylight. The surroundings feel familiar, but he is still unable to recall his memories. Nervous and unsure that visiting the museum is a good idea, he tells Mary he doesn’t recognize anything.