A brush with Mondrian

uncovering secrets of art and family

Plot

When bushfires threatened her home some fifteen years ago, Yvonne Louis thankfully managed to save the treasured Dutch heirlooms that had been handed down to her by her mother. But the near-catastrophe caused her to see these objects in a new light. She pondered especially on her favourite painting, a portrait of an elegant and mysterious young woman whom her family had once nicknamed 'Miss Maris'. Who was she really? And who had painted her? These initial musings soon led Yvonne on a full-blown quest to track down the history and origins of the painting, back to her country of birth - the Netherlands - where she reconnects with long-lost family after forty years and discovers many surprises about her ancestry. She also mixes company with the country's famous artists, art experts and collectors, enters secret and prized vaults, and, in doing so, even more intriguing questions emerge about her family's connections and the value of the paintings in her possession.