Van Gogh and Cezanne Works Lead $500 Million Art Auction
At a Glance
- Twelve major Impressionist and post-Impressionist works are heading to auction in New York.
- The collection has remained largely unseen for about 50 years.
- Van Gogh’s “Chataigniers en fleurs” carries an estimate of $180 million.
- Cezanne’s “Arlequin” is estimated at $120 million.
A long-hidden South American art collection featuring works by some of the world’s most renowned Impressionist and post-Impressionist artists is heading to auction in New York.
Key Statements and Focus Area
- Collection Significance: “In my 30-plus years at Sotheby’s, I’ve never had the privilege of handling a collection of quite this content and caliber.” — Helena Newman, Sotheby’s head of Impressionist and modern art.
- Rarely Seen Works: “No one knew really what was in it. So now, for this to be revealed, is tremendously exciting.” — Philip Hook, former Sotheby’s auctioneer and art expert.
- Focus Area: The sale brings a highly private collection of museum-quality Impressionist and post-Impressionist works into the public market for the first time in decades.
Collection Emerges After Decades
The works belonged to the late Argentine collectors Nelly Arrieta de Blaquier and her husband, sugar magnate Carlos Pedro Blaquier. Their children are now selling the paintings.
The collection has remained largely out of public view, with its owners rarely lending the works for exhibitions. Its contents include paintings by Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
The full group of 12 works is collectively valued at almost $500 million.
Van Gogh And Cezanne Lead Sale
Van Gogh’s “Chataigniers en fleurs,” or “Chestnut Trees in Flower,” has an estimate of $180 million. The 1890 landscape was painted after Van Gogh left a psychiatric asylum in May of that year, shortly before his death.
Cezanne’s “Arlequin” is estimated at $120 million. The painting depicts Cezanne’s son dressed as the Harlequin character and belongs to a group of four related works. The other three are held by major museums.
The collection also includes Paris scenes by Monet and Pissarro, a horse-racing scene by Degas, and a boating scene by Renoir.
Global Buyers Expected
Sotheby’s is preparing for international interest in the November 18 sale, with potential buyers expected from North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
The auction house says the collection’s rarity could attract collectors looking for established works by major artists amid broader economic and geopolitical uncertainty.
FYI
Impressionism emerged in France during the late 19th century, with artists such as Monet and Renoir emphasizing light, movement, and everyday scenes rather than the formal academic conventions dominant at the time. Post-Impressionists, including Van Gogh and Cezanne, later developed different approaches to color, structure, and expression.
Private collections of this scale and quality rarely reach the market as a group. The prolonged absence of these works from public exhibitions has also limited knowledge of the collection outside specialist circles.
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