With the drawing La Mousmé and the painting Scène de rue à Montmartre (Impasse des Deux Frères et le Moulin à Poivre), two important works by Vincent van Gogh have already been auctioned this year. Now a third, with an impressive estimate, is coming up for auction this month at Christie's.
After a two-year stay in Paris with his brother Theo, van Gogh spent an extremely productive year in Arles in the south of France, a place with which he fell in love from the window of the train. He was actually on the way to Marseille, but Arles and its Provençal surroundings were almost magical to him and became home.
In Arles, van Gogh painted nearly 200 paintings, some of which, including The Night Cafe, Bedroom in Arles and the Sunflower, are among his most famous works.
The painter, who is mostly regarded as a loner, really blossomed and wanted to share his source of inspiration with the artists he had met in Paris. But only Paul Gauguin followed van Gogh's call and came to Arles – a stay that ended under mysterious circumstances in January 1889. Shortly afterwards, van Gogh had to leave Arles after repeated seizures.
In June 1888, however, all was well and van Gogh set up his canvas on the banks of Rhône to capture the evening mood on the river not far from the Pont de Trinquetaille.
See also: The Secrets of Van Gogh's Final Painting Revealed
After van Gogh's death, this painting Le Pont de Trinquetaille passed into the possession of his brother Theo. In 1906 it was acquired by the Berlin art dealer Paul Cassirer, and later traveled to Vienna, Paris, London and New York. The painting was exhibited many times, especially in Germany, and significantly inspired the Expressionists.
Van Gogh painted the bridge one more time in October 1888 and this painting is now in a private collection in New York. The work on sale at Christie's comes from a major European private collection and is estimated at $25-35 million.
See also: The 10 Most Famous Works of Art and Where to Find Them
"It is a huge honor to present this spectacular work by Vincent Van Gogh to the market," says Jay Vincze, Senior International Director for Impressionist and Modern Art at Christie's. "Works of this scale and importance are incredibly rare and everything about it, from the vibrant, ‘absinthe’ color of the sky and the highly structured composition to the thick and expressive brushwork of the water speaks of an artist at the very height of his creative powers."
Van Gogh's Le Pont de Trinquetaille is just one of the many highlights of the 20th Century Art Evening Sale at Christie's on 13 May. Others are by Pablo Picasso, Mark Rothko, Piet Mondrian and Roy Lichtenstein. Another bridge painting in the auction was made by Claude Monet between 1899 and 1903: Waterloo Bridge, effet de brouillard.
