Major Auction of Hidden Impressionist Collection
LONDON – Sotheby’s auction house has announced a remarkable auction featuring a collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces valued at nearly $500 million. These artworks have remained unseen for decades, housed in a private collection in South America.
The auction, set for November 18 in New York, includes works by renowned artists such as Vincent van Gogh and Paul Cézanne, both expected to break previous records. This sale reflects a trend where wealthy collectors turn to established masterpieces amidst global uncertainty.
The collection was assembled by Argentine art collector Nelly Arrieta de Blaquier and her husband, sugar magnate Carlos Pedro Blaquier, and will be sold by their heirs. Highlights include van Gogh’s landscape “Châtaigniers en fleurs” (estimated at $180 million) and Cézanne’s portrait “Arlequin” (estimated at $120 million), both unseen in public for fifty years.
Helena Newman, Sotheby’s head of Impressionist and modern art, praised the collection’s significance, likening it to a “mini-Museum D’Orsay.” Newman emphasized that the van Gogh painting exemplifies the artist’s burst of creativity following his release from a psychiatric facility shortly before his tragic death in 1890. The Cézanne portrait, depicting his son as the Harlequin, is one of only four in existence.
Other notable pieces in the collection include cityscapes by Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro, a racing scene by Edgar Degas, and a boating scene by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, each valued in the millions.
Art expert Philip Hook highlighted the legendary status of the collection, which had not been loaned for exhibitions, making its unveiling immensely exciting for art enthusiasts and collectors.
Newman anticipates a global interest from buyers, ranging from technology billionaires to affluent institutions from regions like North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. This offers a unique opportunity for collectors to acquire “museum-quality” Impressionist art, which is becoming increasingly rare.
As these renowned artworks prepare to hit the auction block, the art world watches eagerly, anticipating the heights of modern auction records.
