A “rare and poignant” still life painted by Vincent Van Gogh in the month before he took his own life is expected to raise up to $50m when it is put up for auction in the autumn.
“Still life, Vase with Daisies and Poppies” is one of only a handful of major paintings by the acknowledged father of expressionism to be sold on the open market since the late 1980s. Before he died at the age of 37, the Dutch artist painted just a few hundred works, the majority of which are now in museums.
Simon Shaw, co-head of impressionist and modern art at Sotheby’s, which is auctioning the work with an estimate of $30m-$50m, said Van Gogh’s early death meant his works were in “radically diminished supply”. “Unlike Monet and Picasso, who were very productive artists with long, prolific careers, Van Gogh only painted for a very short time,” he said.