Van Gogh's “Blossoming Chestnut Trees” will sell at Sotheby's on 18 November 2026 for more than the artist's auction record of $117.2 million
Sotheby's, Vincent van Gogh, “Châtaigniers en fleurs”· affermato il 12 nov 2026 · fonte originale
Sotheby's is offering Van Gogh's 1890 painting “Châtaigniers en fleurs” as the headline lot of “Legendary: The Blaquier-Arrieta Collection”, an evening sale in New York on 18 November 2026. The house officially lists it as “Estimate on Request” but has given the press a projected value of $180 million, and on 12 November The Art Newspaper wrote that, because the lot is guaranteed, it is sure to exceed the Van Gogh auction record of $117.2 million including fees, set at Christie's in 2022 by “Orchard with Cypresses”. On 12 November a lawyer for heirs of the publisher Gottfried Bermann Fischer asked Sotheby's to suspend the sale, arguing the painting was sold under Nazi-era duress in 1936. The published result of the 18 November sale (price with fees, or a withdrawal) will settle the case.
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Sotheby's catalogue schedules the painting for its 18 November evening auction
Sotheby's digital catalogue lists twelve lots in “Legendary: The Blaquier-Arrieta Collection Evening Auction”, 18 November 2026, 6:00 PM EST, New York, including Van Gogh's “Châtaigniers en fleurs”. Like Cézanne's “Arlequin”, the Van Gogh carries no figure, only “Estimate Upon Request”; the other ten lots have published ranges, from $700,000–900,000 up to $30–40 million.
The Art Newspaper: the lot is guaranteed and “sure to exceed” the record
In its 12 November preview of the New York sales, The Art Newspaper says the painting carries an estimate of around $180 million and, “because it has been guaranteed, is sure to exceed” the Van Gogh record of $117m including fees. It describes the whole collection of 12 paintings as fully guaranteed and expected to make around $450 million. The size of the guarantee is not published.
What the record actually is: $117.18 million with fees, $102 million hammer
The 2022 record for “Orchard with Cypresses” was a $102 million hammer price that became $117,180,000 with the buyer's premium. Auction records are compared on the price including fees, so on 18 November the comparison must use Sotheby's published price with premium, not the hammer price; a hammer price somewhat below $117 million could already be enough.
Sotheby's: officially “Estimate on Request”, $180 million only “for press purposes”
Sotheby's own article on valuing the painting says it is officially listed as “Estimate on Request”, which senior adviser Simon Shaw describes as a way to “respond to the reaction of the market”; the $180 million is a projected value given “for press purposes”. No binding figure, reserve or guarantee amount is public, so the claim that the record is certain to fall cannot be checked before the sale.
Sothebys.comPricing the Priceless: How To Value Vincent van GoghAs Van Gogh’s iconic Châtaigniers en fleurs appears at auction—as part of Legendary: The Blaquier-Arrieta Collection—we are unpicking how Sotheby’s estimates a historic masterpiece for auction..
Heirs of a former owner ask Sotheby's to suspend the sale
ArtDependence, citing The New York Times, reports that heirs of the publisher Gottfried Bermann Fischer argue the painting was sold in the Netherlands in 1936 under Nazi duress, three months after he fled Berlin. Their lawyer Gunnar Schnabel wrote on 12 November asking Sotheby's to suspend the sale or show the 1936 price was fair. Sotheby's says its research has not confirmed duress and that it is “committed to working toward a mutually satisfactory resolution”. A withdrawal or postponement would mean no sale on 18 November.
