A Vincent van Gogh painting carrying an estimate of $180 million (£136 million) is due to be auctioned in New York on Wednesday, but heirs of its earlier German owners say it may have been sold under duress as the Nazis came to power.
Auction house Sotheby’s says it is working to resolve the dispute over Châtaigniers en Fleurs — Blossoming Chestnut Trees — which is being sold as part of a group of works called the Blaquier-Arrieta Collection, the BBC reported.
Representatives acting for heirs of the Fischer family contend the work changed hands under pressure during the Nazis’ rise. Sotheby’s says its own research has not established that.
What Sotheby’s says
“Sotheby’s takes provenance and restitution matters extremely seriously and has undertaken extensive research into the ownership history of Châtaigniers en fleurs,” the auction house said in a statement to the BBC.
“We are aware of the concerns recently raised by representatives of the Fischer heirs and have been in dialogue with them regarding the painting’s history. While our research to date has not established that the painting was sold under duress, we recognize the importance of engaging thoughtfully and constructively with the family and are committed to working toward a mutually satisfactory resolution.”
Hiru News, which carried the story citing the BBC, reported the same position — that the auction house has found no evidence to date of a forced sale but hopes to reach an outcome acceptable to both sides.
The ownership trail
Sotheby’s own catalogue traces the oil painting’s movements since 1890. By its account:
- 1909 — Samuel Fischer, a well-known German publisher, acquires the work.
- 1934 — Fischer dies; the painting passes down within his family.
- 1932 or 1933 — it is deposited with Paul Cassirer in Amsterdam.
- 1936 — it goes to Henriette and Marcel Kapferer in Paris.
- Four further owners hold it before this year’s sale.
The Amsterdam deposit is dated earlier than the Paris transfer in Sotheby’s sequence, and neither filing explains that ordering.
The Fischer heirs have instructed a lawyer who, according to the New York Times, has written to Sotheby’s. He is reported to have told the auction house the painting was sold in Amsterdam before the Second World War because of financial losses the family’s publishing business suffered under the Nazi regime. The BBC says it has contacted the lawyer for comment.
Not reported
Neither filing gives the lawyer’s name, the date the auction house was contacted, or what remedy the heirs are seeking — withdrawal of the lot, a settlement, or restitution of the work. Neither states whether the sale will proceed on Wednesday. The BBC does not give the auction’s calendar date; by its filing date that Wednesday falls on 18 November.
Sourcing note
Both sources trace to one newsroom: Hiru News credits the BBC as its source, so this is a single original account carried twice rather than two independent ones. The detail attributed to the heirs’ lawyer reaches both outlets second-hand, via the New York Times, and the lawyer had not commented publicly at the time of filing. Sri Lanka’s other verified newsrooms had not covered the dispute when this article was written.
