Highest price since 1998 for Van Gogh painting

A VINCENT van Gogh painting fetched more than $66-million (R788million) at a New York auction on Tuesday‚ the most paid for a work by the Dutch Post-Impressionist artist since 1998.

According to Sotheby’s auction firm‚ Van Gogh’s Les Alyscamps (pictured right), which depicts a stand of autumnal trees‚ had been expected to go for about $40-million (R478-million)‚ but ultimately an Asian collector paid $66.3-million (R791-million) after an intense five-way bidding war.

Also reaching the pricing stratosphere was a Water Lilies painting by French Impressionist Claude Monet‚ which sold for $54-million (R644-million)‚ smashing Sotheby’s valuation of between $30-million and $45-million (R358-million and R537-million).

The most ever paid for a Van Gogh was in 1990‚ when his Portrait of Dr Gachet sold for $82.5-million in New York. Adjusted to today’s dollars‚ that is about $153-million (R1.8-billion). – AFP