Van Gogh painting unseen for 60 years resurfaces with $180 million estimate
A Vincent van Gogh painting, 'Chestnut Trees in Blossom', has resurfaced after 60 years and is expected to fetch $180 million at auction. The work is one of the few remaining late-career pieces in private hands.
Why it matters
The high valuation highlights the enduring market value of historical fine art and the rarity of major works appearing for public sale.
Hundreds of art lovers lined up outside a Hong Kong gallery to see a Vincent van Gogh masterpiece that had been hidden from public view for more than six decades. The 1890 painting, titled Châtaigniers en fleurs (Chestnut Trees in Blossom), reappeared ahead of a planned auction on 18 November at Sotheby’s in New York. The auction house expects the painting to sell for about $180 million (£138 million). If it reaches that price, it would set a new auction record for a work by the Dutch artist. The painting went on public display in Hong Kong as part of a worldwide preview. Large crowds came to see one of the few major late works by Van Gogh still held in private hands.Created in final weeks of lifeVincent van Gogh painted Chestnut Trees in Blossom in May 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise, France, during the final months of his life.
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