Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery at the Art Gallery

Evelyn Harlington, a wealthy and eccentric British art collector, spent her life discovering new talent — young artists she helped launch by sponsoring them and using her mansion as a gallery to exhibit their work. Among those protégés was Virgilio Innocenti, who, out of deep devotion to his patron, became her personal assistant and was later adopted as her son. Unlike the other rising talents, however, the young Florentine — rebaptized Virgilio Harlington — had no artistic gift. Despite repeated attempts to win his stepmother’s favor, he never earned her blessing, which left him deeply frustrated and eventually resentful toward her enterprise and the circle of young artists she championed. After Evelyn’s unexpected death, Virgilio — sole heir to the Harlington fortune — continued her legacy with one drastic change: every aspiring artist must now take the “Harlington Contest,” a challenge staged in the mansion’s gallery that tests intelligence and knowledge of art history over 60 minutes. If the contestant solves the unique challenge within the allotted time, they earn patronage and space to exhibit; if they fail, all the artist’s work and assets become Virgilio’s property with no claim to any profit. So far, none of the hopefuls appear to have passed the test… Extreme difficulty, or a scam disguised as a contest? Enter Sherlock Holmes: the famous British detective, who after months of investigation and being unable to lawfully enter the mansion, sees Virgilio’s challenge as an opportunity to infiltrate the gallery and verify his suspicions. Posing as promising new painters, Sherlock, his assistant Watson, and a team of detectives specializing in art, history, and ancient symbolism will have one hour to explore the gallery’s greatest puzzles and uncover the mystery.