Two Van Gogh data smashed—and a brand new highest sale worth for the artist’s Paris interval work – The Artwork Newspaper

Vincent van Gogh’s Parisian Novels (November-December 1887) offered for $62.7m at Sotheby’s, New York on 20 November, a file worth for one of many artist’s works painted in Paris (all sale costs talked about embody charges). It did significantly higher than anticipated, for the reason that preliminary pre-sale estimate (with out charges) was $40m. The ultimate consequence nearly doubled the earlier highest worth at public sale for a piece from the artist’s Paris interval, the $33.2m paid for Nook of a Backyard with Butterflies (Could-July 1887), which offered at Christie’s final 12 months.

The $62.7m for Parisian Novels additionally made it a file for a Van Gogh nonetheless life, though two earlier gross sales have been increased in actual phrases (after inflation is taken under consideration). Nonetheless Life, Vase with Daisies and Poppies (June 1890) offered for $61.8m in 2014 and Sunflowers (December 1888-January 1889) for $39.9m again in 1987.

This week, 4 Van Gogh works got here up on the market within the vital New York November auctions. Seven Van Gogh works had been offered by Sotheby’s and Christie’s earlier within the 12 months. There’s all the time a component of probability about what comes onto the market (the 2 public sale homes collectively had a complete of six in 2024), though this 12 months Sotheby’s made nice efforts to draw main collections for the November inauguration of its New York Breuer constructing in Madison Avenue.

Parisian Novels was the star lot within the sale of the gathering of Cindy and Jay Pritzker, the Chicago-based couple whose wealth got here from build up the Hyatt Resort chain. 

Additionally included within the Pritzker public sale was a Van Gogh drawing, Public Backyard with Benches in Place Lamartine (April 1888). This depicts the backyard simply outdoors the Yellow Home, the artist’s dwelling in Arles. The drawing offered for just below $3m.

Sotheby’s clocked up one other file, when it offered Sower in a Wheatfield with Setting Solar (July 1888) earlier this week, on 18 November. Going for $11.2m, this was the very best worth for a Van Gogh drawing at public sale. Till then the file had been held by La Mousmé (August 1888), a portrait of a younger girl, which offered at Christie’s in 2021 for $10.4m.

Sower in a Wheatfield with Setting Solar was a part of the sale of the gathering of Leonard Lauder, an inheritor of the founders of the Estée Lauder cosmetics firm. The Lauder sale hit the headlines this week when its star lot, Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer (1914-16), offered for $236.3m, the second-most priceless murals ever offered at public sale and the very best public sale worth for a contemporary paintings.

The fourth Van Gogh offered this week was at Christie’s, New York, on 18 November: Fisherman with Basket on his Again (January-February 1883). It went for $698,500. The drawing dates from Van Gogh’s interval in The Hague and these earlier works don’t fetch the costs of his later works achieved in France.

File costs

Parisian Novels is now among the many ten most costly Van Gogh work offered at public sale, coming into the listing at quantity 5. Fields close to Les Alpilles (November 1889) has due to this fact been knocked off the underside of the listing.

The customer of Parisian Novels stays nameless, however it’s fairly attainable that the portray will go to East Asia. That is prompt by the truth that the successful bid at Sotheby’s was dealt with by Patti Wong, the auctioneer’s former head of Asia. She is now a non-public advisor, primarily coping with Asian shoppers.

In our 2023 survey of what was then the ten most costly Van Gogh work, three (and probably extra) had gone to Chinese language patrons from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Historically Christie’s has had the lion’s share of Van Gogh gross sales in recent times. Previously 5 years, it offered 18 works for over $1m. Sotheby’s notched up simply seven. Nonetheless, Sotheby’s has now added one other three, due to its gross sales of the Pritzker and Lauder collections.

Different Van Gogh information

The framing of Van Gogh work is vital, because it has a serious affect on the looks of the artist’s work. The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena has simply reframed its Head of a Peasant Lady in a White Bonnet (March 1885). It was faraway from the ornate gilt body wherein it was purchased by Norton Simon in 1984 and positioned into a way more applicable Nineteenth-century oak European body.

Martin Bailey is a number one Van Gogh specialist and particular correspondent for The Artwork Newspaper. He has curated exhibitions on the Barbican Artwork Gallery, Compton Verney/Nationwide Gallery of Scotland and Tate Britain.

Martin has written quite a few bestselling books on Van Gogh’s years in France: The Sunflowers Are Mine: The Story of Van Gogh’s Masterpiece (Frances Lincoln 2013, UK and US), Studio of the South: Van Gogh in Provence (Frances Lincoln 2016, UK and US), Starry Evening: Van Gogh on the Asylum (White Lion Publishing 2018, UK and US) and Van Gogh’s Finale: Auvers and the Artist’s Rise to Fame (Frances Lincoln 2021, UK and US). The Sunflowers are Mine (2024, UK and US) and Van Gogh’s Finale (2024, UK and US) are additionally now accessible in a extra compact paperback format.

His different current books embody Dwelling with Vincent van Gogh: The Houses & Landscapes that formed the Artist (White Lion Publishing 2019, UK and US), which offers an outline of the artist’s life. The Illustrated Provence Letters of Van Gogh has been reissued (Batsford 2021, UK and US). My Pal Van Gogh/Emile Bernard offers the primary English translation of Bernard’s writings on Van Gogh (David Zwirner Books 2023, UKand US).

To contact Martin Bailey, please e-mail vangogh@theartnewspaper.com

Please notice that he doesn’t undertake authentications.

Discover all of Martin’s adventures with Van Gogh right here