Sotheby's auction of $180m Van Gogh challenged over claims it was 'sold under duress'
Summary
Sotheby’s plans to auction Vincent van Gogh’s *Châtaigniers en fleurs* in New York, with an estimate of $180 million. Heirs of German publisher Samuel Fischer say the painting may have been sold under duress during the Nazi rise to power; Sotheby’s says its research has not established that claim and that it is seeking a resolution with the family.Key Facts
- The painting’s title translates as “Blossoming Chestnut Trees.”
- The work is scheduled to be auctioned in New York on Wednesday as part of the Blaquier-Arrieta Collection.
- Sotheby’s estimates the painting at $180 million, or £136 million.
- Fischer acquired the painting in 1909, and it passed to his family after his death in 1934.
- The painting was deposited with Paul Cassirer in Amsterdam in 1932 or 1933 and went to Henriette and Marcel Kapferer in Paris in 1936.
- Fischer heirs’ representatives say the painting may have been sold in Amsterdam before World War Two because Nazi-era financial losses had affected the family’s publishing company.
- Sotheby’s says its research has not established that the painting was sold under duress and says it is in dialogue with the heirs.
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