Last modified: Tuesday, February 6, 2007 12:12 AM EST "Afghans," a painting by the Russian artist Alexandre Iacovieff, could fetch up to $2 million if auctioned. The painting hung in the auditorium at North's Community School until last week. North officials put auction of painting on hold BY AMY DeMELIA SUN CHRONICLE STAFF NORTH ATTLEBORO - Gregory Smith's plea was simple and convincing: Please don't sell the painting. Smith, a grandson of the family who donated the Russian masterpiece that sat unnoticed for years on the wall of Community School until it was learned last week that it may be worth more than $1 million, asked school officials Monday night to not adopt a "gold-rush mentality" and postpone sale of the work. His request was honored. School officials said they will hold off discussing selling the painting until relatives of the donors had the opportunity to talk about the situation. Smith's grandparents, William Charles and Edith Whiting Thompson, donated the painting to the town around 1950. He said his plea was being made on behalf of the family, including his mother and two uncles. "This is a reflection of a kind of gold-rush mentality in my family's opinion. The rush to attempt to sell this thing is extremely short-sighted," Smith said. "I think it would be in the best interest of this board to postpone a decision until we can get our arms around this thing and come up with a best course of action." Smith said he was surprised to read about the painting in Saturday's The Sun Chronicle and wished that his family had been contacted before the painting was removed. "I am dismayed the painting was removed from the school where my grandfather hung it over five decades ago," Smith said. "To my family, this is a gift of art. This is a gift of culture and it managed to escape harm for 55 years. It should not have been taken down from the wall where my grandfather hung it." The painting was removed from the Community School auditorium last week after school officials discovered the painting's value. It is currently in the hands of Sotheby's auction house of New York, which has agreed to store and insure the artwork until the town decides what to do with it. The 7-foot by 10-foot painting by artist Alexandre Iacovleff depicts Afghan tribesman resting on a hillside. Titled "Afghans" it was recently appraised at $600,000 to $800,000 by Sotheby's auction house of New York. The painting could sell for far more if the town decides to auction it off - one of Iacovleff's paintings recently sold for $2 million. Given those facts, school committee Chairman David Manoogian said there was little choice but to take it down. "It was removed for the purposes of safeguarding the painting. We had no means to insure it," Manoogian said. So far, no documentation of the donation has been found in town records. School Superintendent Richard Smith said school committee minutes from 1937 to 1965 have been poured over and no mention of the painting has been discovered. The school department was just starting its research into the painting when he was contacted by the donor family. "My perception is that you have a misperception about how well known it was that the Thompson Smith family was the donor of that painting. It was not so obvious within the community as you may believe," Superintendent Smith said. Gregory Smith was able to shed some more light onto the donation, which is remembered well by members of his family. His grandfather, William Charles Thompson had a long history in the art world, working for the Vose Gallery in Boston. Thompson, the nephew of Robert Vose, knew Iacovleff personally and oversaw the sale of the artist's paintings after his death. "His widow was pleased to know the painting hung in a public place," Smith said. "My grandfather chose that location specifically and after receiving approval, hung it there himself with the help of a friend." Selectmen Chairman John Rhyno also urged the school department to proceed slowly with any plans to sell the artwork. "It may come to the point that we find the best solution is to sell the painting but I would like the blessing of the family first," he said. "I don't want anyone to feel if they donate something to the town, we will turn around and sell it." After speaking with Gregory Smith, school committee members agreed to appoint a subcommittee to discuss the future of the painting with the donor family. It is expected that a decision will be made at the board's March meeting. A sale of the painting would require a vote from both the school committee and selectmen. Superintendent Smith suggested that any money made from the sale of the painting could be used to perhaps buy another piece of art for the auditorium and set up a scholarship fund for graduating North Attleboro High School students majoring in the arts. Meanwhile, the school committee offered its thanks to Richard Paynton, the art enthusiast who brought the painting's value to the board's attention. Paynton researched the painting after seeing it on the wall while attending a Living Waters Church service in the Community School auditorium. "I do enjoy artwork and I explored a little on the artist," Paynton said. "It was kind of shocking because this was a level of painting you wouldn't typically find except in a major gallery or private collection." Paynton said he discussed with his wife Krista whether he should tell the town of the painting's value and ultimately decided to contact the school committee chairman. "What if something happened like the roof leaked or it fell on the floor?" Paynton asked. "It concerned me because it is an extremely valuable piece of art that was completely unprotected. And if I could find out about it then anyone can."