Twelve Long-Hidden Paintings Head to Auction
Sunday, October 4, 2026208 words3 minutes2521 reads
An important private collection will be sold at Sotheby's in New York on November 18. It contains twelve Impressionist and modern paintings, including works by Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, and Claude Monet. Sotheby's places the combined pre-sale estimates at about $450 million.
The leading lot is Van Gogh's Châtaigniers en fleurs, estimated at about $180 million. It was painted in May 1890, after Van Gogh arrived in Auvers-sur-Oise. Cézanne's Arlequin is estimated around $120 million. Sotheby's says the two paintings could set auction records, but that is a prediction, not a result.
The paintings were collected in the 1970s by Carlos Pedro Blaquier and Nelly Arrieta de Blaquier. Some of the works have not been seen on public exhibition for 50 years or longer. Reuters reported that five paintings were shown at Sotheby's in London, while the rest were being shown digitally before selected works travel to galleries worldwide.
A private collection is art owned by an individual or family rather than a museum. Private owners may store a painting, show it at home, lend it to an exhibition, or keep it away from public view. This auction will make the collection easier to see, but the estimated $450 million is still not its final sale price.
