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.
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that → line → 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.
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painting → title → York
The auction house expects the painting to sell for about $180 million (£138 million).
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painting → expect → million
If it reaches that price, it would set a new auction record for a work by the Dutch artist.
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it → reach → artist
The painting went on public display in Hong Kong as part of a worldwide preview.
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painting → go → preview
Large crowds came to see one of the few major late works by Van Gogh still held in private hands.
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crowds → come → hands
Created in final weeks of life
Vincent 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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Gogh → create → life
The landscape shows a chestnut tree covered in blossoms, with a lone man walking past three women dressed in Japanese clothing.
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man → show → clothing
It is one of about 70 works Van Gogh created after leaving the psychiatric asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, where he had painted his famous work Starry Night.
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he → create → work
Scott Niichel, a vice chairman at Sotheby's, spoke about the painting's emotional importance during a media presentation covered by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
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Niichel → speak → Presse
"It's one of the last, most expressive and hopeful works by van Gogh in this final phase of his career," Niichel told AFP.
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Niichel → tell → AFP
Van Gogh created about 70 landscapes during his short stay in Auvers-sur-Oise before his death in July 1890.
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Gogh → create → July
Only eight of these works remain in private hands.
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eight → remain → hands
The others are held by major museums around the world.
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others → hold → world
Out of sight for six decades
The painting has been hidden from public view for more than 60 years.
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painting → hide → years
According to ownership records published by Sotheby's, art collector Harriet Harris Jonas bought the painting in 1953.
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Jonas → accord → 1953
It was later bought through art dealer Wildenstein in 1975 by the late Argentine industrialist Carlos Pedro Blaquier and his wife, Nelly Arrieta de Blaquier.
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It → buy → industrialist
The painting has remained in the Blaquier family collection ever since.
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painting → remain → collection
It is the main work in the Blaquier-Arrieta Collection, which Sotheby's has named "Legendary."
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Sotheby → name → which
Simon Shaw, a senior adviser at Sotheby's, described the wider collection's historical importance in a statement released by the company.
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Shaw → describe → company
"What strikes me most is that the Blaquier-Arrieta collection doesn't feel like a private collection at all," Shaw said in the statement.
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Shaw → strike → statement
"It feels like a small museum, a miniature Musée d'Orsay, now opening its doors for the very first time."
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It → feel → time
Along with the Van Gogh landscape, the collection includes works by major Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists such as Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Camille Pissarro.
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collection → include → Monet
Sotheby's expects the entire collection to raise more than $450 million when it goes up for auction in November.
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it → expect → November
Testing the global art market
The Hong Kong exhibition gave Sotheby's an important chance to measure interest among Asian collectors before the New York auction.
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exhibition → test → auction
Visitors travelled long distances to see the painting during its short stay in the city.
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Visitors → travel → city
Li Shanshan, an art lover who travelled two and a half hours from Shenzhen to view the work, shared her thoughts with the BBC.
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who → travel → BBC
"I'd never heard of this painting before, so I wanted to see it with my own eyes," Li told the BBC.
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Li → hear → BBC
"I think it will create a huge sensation around the world."
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it → think → world
The record was set in 2022 when Orchard with Cypresses was sold at Christie's as part of the Paul G. Allen collection.
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Orchard → set → collection
If Chestnut Trees in Blossom reaches its estimated price of $180 million, it will break that record and become one of the most expensive artworks ever sold at auction.
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it → reach → auction
Niichel told AFP that interest in the painting comes from around the world.
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interest → tell → world
He said "anything is possible" when discussing who might buy the work in November.
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who → say → November
He also said the strong public response during the Hong Kong preview suggests that a buyer from Asia is a real possibility.
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buyer → say → Asia
The Aporia
