Newly identified: the most expensive Van Gogh was once owned by a highly distinguished early collector
“Blossoming Chestnut Trees” was bought in 1908 by Gustave Fayet, now the focus of a major exhibition at the Louis Vuitton foundation in Paris
Martin Bailey, The Art Newspaper's correspondent and expert on Van Gogh, reports on a newly identified fact about one of the artist's most expensive works. The painting, Blossoming Chestnut Trees, is expected to fetch a record auction price at Sotheby's in New York on November 18th. The final sale price, including buyer's premium and other fees, is projected to exceed $207 million.
The painting's earliest known owner, Gustave Fayet, has been uncovered in the Van Gogh literature for the first time. Fayet was an important collector of modern art prior to World War I. He is currently the subject of a major exhibition at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. Fayet paid 3800 francs, equivalent to $750, for Blossoming Chestnut Trees in 1909 according to entries in his diary. The Paris dealer Eugène Druet handled the sale on behalf of Prince de Wagram, an aristocrat from the French Rothschild family.
Fayet's interest in Van Gogh was prescient, as he foresaw a revolutionary shift in the art world, anticipating that museums would eventually acquire Van Gogh's works. The Louvre bought Imperial Fritillaries in a Copper Vase in 1911, just two years after Fayet's purchase. However, Blossoming Chestnut Trees did not remain in Fayet’s collection for long. He sold it to another Paris dealer, Bernheim-Jeune, just a year later.
Written by urgent.news from The Art Newspaper's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
