Van Gogh painting not seen in decades could fetch $180 million at auction

A collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist artworks, including pieces by Vincent van Gogh and Paul Cézanne, is set to go up for auction at Sotheby's in New York on November 18. The collection, amassed by the late Argentine art collector Nelly Arrieta de Blaquier and her husband, Carlos Pedro Blaquier, has been unseen for decades and is valued at nearly half a billion dollars.

Notably, two works expected to fetch record prices are van Gogh's "Châtaigniers en fleurs" (Chestnut Trees in Flower) and Cézanne's "Arlequin," with estimates of $180 million and $120 million, respectively. The collection, described as a "mini-Musee d'Orsay," includes works by Monet, Pissarro, Degas, and Renoir, as well as cityscapes and portraits.

Art experts and Sotheby's officials have expressed excitement about the collection's significance and the global interest it is likely to attract.

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