Van Gogh, Cézanne Masterpieces to Headline Sotheby's $450 Million Art Auction

Sotheby's is set to auction a collection of a dozen Impressionist and post-Impressionist artworks, collectively valued at nearly $450 million, on November 18 in New York. The pieces, which have been unseen by the public for half a century, come from the private collection of the late Argentine art collectors Nelly Arrieta de Blaquier and Carlos Pedro Blaquier.

Notable Works and Estimates

The auction will feature Vincent van Gogh's landscape "Châtaigniers en fleurs" (Chestnut Trees in Flower), estimated at $180 million, and Paul Cézanne's portrait "Arlequin," estimated at $120 million. Both works have not been exhibited publicly for 50 years.

Van Gogh's "Châtaigniers en fleurs," painted in May 1890, is described by Sotheby's head of Impressionist and modern art, Helena Newman, as capturing the artist's "explosion of energy and vitality" shortly after his release from a psychiatric asylum. Cézanne's "Arlequin" is one of four known depictions of his son in the costume of the Harlequin character, with the other three residing in major museum collections.

A Fabled Collection

The collection also includes works such as Claude Monet's and Camille Pissarro's Parisian cityscapes, an Edgar Degas horse-racing scene, and a Pierre-Auguste Renoir boating scene, with individual estimates in the tens of millions of dollars. Art expert Philip Hook noted the collection's legendary status, partly due to the owners' reluctance to loan works for exhibitions.

Newman referred to the collection as a "mini-Musée D’Orsay," highlighting its museum-quality caliber. She stated that in times of global uncertainty, there is a strong demand for established, masterworks, making this collection particularly rare and valuable.

The sale is anticipated to draw significant international interest from collectors and institutions worldwide.