Vincent van Gogh's late masterpiece heads to Sotheby's New York auction

Sotheby's plans to auction Vincent van Gogh's 1890 work "Flowering Chestnut Trees" in New York, where it is expected to fetch a substantial sum. The painting, produced during the artist's last two months, shows a lone man and three women strolling before a blooming chestnut tree. After a recent exhibition in Hong Kong that attracted hundreds of visitors, the piece joins eleven other artworks from the late Argentine collectors Nelly Arrieta de Blaquier and Carlos Pedro Blaquier, including works by Monet, Pissarro and Cézanne.

Scott Niichel, Sotheby's deputy chairman, highlighted the painting's intense brushstroke as evidence of van Gogh's lingering creative drive. He also indicated that the Asian market could be a likely destination for the work. The auction is scheduled for November 18 in New York.