Key facts
- Vincent van Gogh's "Châtaigniers en fleurs" was displayed in Hong Kong ahead of an auction.
- The painting has not been publicly exhibited for over 60 years.
- Sotheby's expects the artwork to sell for around $180 million at its New York auction on November 18.
- The painting is from Van Gogh's final period in Auvers-sur-Oise, France.
- The work depicts a blossoming chestnut tree.
Hundreds of people queued in Hong Kong on Tuesday to view Vincent van Gogh's "Châtaigniers en fleurs" painting, which has not been publicly exhibited for over six decades. The artwork is set to be auctioned at Sotheby's in New York on November 18, where it is expected to fetch approximately $180 million.
Sotheby's described the painting as one of the most important works from the Dutch artist's final days in Auvers-sur-Oise, France. Scott Niichel of Sotheby's modern and contemporary art department in New York stated that the painting is poised to set a new auction record for a Van Gogh work, highlighting the "extraordinary optimism, frenetic energy, enthusiasm, passion, and colour" of the artist's late period.
Paintings from Van Gogh's final period, which followed his release from a psychiatric asylum, are rare on the market and are expected to attract significant attention from collectors, museums, and investors. One art lover, Li Shanshan, traveled from Shenzhen to see the painting, expressing a desire to view it with her own eyes.
"Châtaigniers en fleurs" depicts a large blossoming chestnut tree. The painting will be sold as part of a collection of 12 long-unseen works, including pieces by Paul Cezanne and Claude Monet. Five other works from this collection, including Cezanne's "Arlequin" and Monet’s "Le Jardin des Tuileries", were unveiled in London in late September.
Following Van Gogh's death in July 1890, the painting passed through several hands, including his brother Theo, Theo's widow Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, their son Vincent Willem, German publisher Samuel Fischer, American songwriter and producer George "Buddy" DeSylva, collector Harriet Harris-Jonas, and art dealer Wildenstein, before being acquired by the Blaquier family in 1975.