Van Gogh landscape sells for US$117m at Paul Allen auction

A landscape by Vincent van Gogh sold for US$117 million, topping a global auction record for the artist that had been set more than 30 years ago.

The painting in question, Verger avec Cyprès (1888), depicts a pastel-hued spring day. It’s part of an auction at Christie’s of works from Paul Allen’s estate. In total, the sale is expected to bring in more than US$1 billion. Including buyer’s premium, the van Gogh as Lot No 22 out of 60 pushes totals over the US$700 million mark.

The van Gogh carried a steep presale estimate of US$100 million, already US$17.5 million more than the artist’s Portrait du Dr Gachet sold for in 1990, which at the time was a record price for any work of art at auction. Since then, no van Gogh has sold for more than that amount, until Wednesday (Nov 9) night. BLOOMBERG