Twelve Long-Hidden Paintings Head to Auction
Sunday, October 4, 2026173 words3 minutes2519 reads
On November 18, Sotheby's will auction twelve paintings in New York from the Blaquier-Arrieta collection. The group includes work by Van Gogh, Cézanne, Monet, and other artists. Sotheby's says the collection has pre-sale estimates of about $450 million.
The largest estimate is about $180 million for Van Gogh's Châtaigniers en fleurs. Cézanne's Arlequin has an estimate around $120 million. An auction estimate is not a promise; the final price depends on what buyers offer during the sale.
The paintings belonged to a private collection and were mostly bought in London in the 1970s. Some were kept in a private collection and not shown publicly for 50 years or more. A private owner can keep art at home, store it, lend it to a museum, or show it only rarely.
That is why a famous painting can disappear from public view without being lost. The auction will bring these works back before the public, but it does not mean a museum will buy them. The winning buyers will decide where the paintings go next.
