Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh's "Flowering Chestnuts" (Châtaigniers en fleurs) is displayed in Hong Kong ahead of the auction taking place in New York on November 18. According to Sotheby’s auction house, the work could sell for around 180 million dollars, setting a global record for the sale of the artist's works.
Why this matters. The painting has not been shown to the public for over 60 years. It is one of 12 masterpieces from the private collection of Argentine collectors Nelly Arrieta de Blakier and Carlos Pedro Blakier, which will also be auctioned (including works by Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Paul Cézanne).
Key details of the artwork.
Subject. The painting depicts flowering chestnuts, with a solitary man passing by, while three women in Japanese clothing can be seen in the distance.
Creation period. Completed in 1890, this work is one of the last created by Van Gogh in the two months before his death. He painted it after leaving the psychiatric hospital in Saint-Rémy (where he created "Starry Night").
Productivity. In the last years of his life, the artist worked at an extraordinary pace, averaging one painting a day. He died at the age of 37, just two days after a failed suicide attempt.
Price record. The current record for the sale of Van Gogh's works belongs to the painting "Garden with Pines," which sold for $117.2 million in 2022.
