An 1890 Vincent van Gogh painting valued at $180 million faces a last-minute withdrawal demand in Manhattan as Jewish heirs argue Nazi persecution forced its 1936 sale.
The heirs of the Jewish former owner have asked Sotheby’s to pull “Châtaigniers en Fleurs (Blossoming Chestnut Trees)” just days before its scheduled auction. The work carries the highest estimate of any lot at this season’s art auctions and exceeds any price ever paid at auction for a Van Gogh.
The Sotheby’s Auction Challenge
- The 1890 painting is the centerpiece of the marquee fall auctions in Manhattan with a $180 million estimate.
- Heirs represented by Berlin lawyer Gunnar Schnabel demanded the work’s withdrawal on Nov. 12, citing a 1936 sale under Nazi duress.
- The artwork is part of the Blaquier-Arrieta collection from Buenos Aires and is backed by a Sotheby’s financial guarantee.
Heirs Claim 1936 Sale Occurred Under Duress
The Van Gogh painting was completed in Auvers-sur-Oise, near Paris, following the artist’s two years in the south of France. United States-based heirs maintain the artwork was sold in Amsterdam before the Second World War. Financial losses sustained by their family’s publishing company under the Nazi regime drove the transaction, according to the legal challenge.
Representing the heirs, Berlin attorney Gunnar Schnabel called on Sotheby’s to establish definitively that the 1936 transaction occurred at fair market value. Schnabel also challenged the auction house to prove that the family “would have wanted to carry out the sale even without Nazi rule.”
“Otherwise, no auction may take place,” Schnabel wrote in a Nov. 12 email to Marco Toracca, the head of Sotheby’s restitution department, as reported by The New York Times.
Schnabel Seeks Solution Following Washington Principles
In the email made available to The New York Times, Schnabel stated his client “is prepared to work toward a fair and just solution in the spirit of the 1998 Washington Principles.” These international guidelines assist institutions and governments in handling confiscated or Nazi-looted art.
“Blossoming Chestnut Trees” belongs to the Blaquier-Arrieta collection. In the auction house’s announcement, author and former Sotheby’s executive Philip Hook characterized the collection as “the stuff of legend: whispered about, kept from public view.” Beginning in the 1960s, Carlos Pedro Blaquier and Nelly Arrieta de Blaquier assembled this group of modern and Impressionist works in Buenos Aires.
| Painting Details | Collection Origin | Auction Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Châtaigniers en Fleurs (1890) | Blaquier-Arrieta Collection | $180 Million |
Next Steps for the Manhattan Sale
Sotheby’s has backed the centerpiece lot with a financial guarantee.
