Christie's to auction Vincent van Gogh's artwork looted by Nazis during second World War

Vincent van Gogh's watercolour of 'wheatstacks' is scheduled to be auctioned at Christie’s, New York on November 11, 2021. The auction house Christie's has expected Vincent van Gogh's work to fetch a price of $20 million or above, as per the Associated Press (AP). A watercolour by Vincent van Gogh that was looted by the Nazis during World War II will be sold next month at auction in New York, where it is expected to fetch a price of $20 million or more, the auction house Christie’s announced.

Christie’s will be conducting the auction of Vincent van Gogh's 1888 work, 'Wheatstacks', after negotiations with Texas oilman Edwin L.Cox’s heirs who own it now and the heirs of two Jewish art collectors who owned it at different times before the watercolour by Vincent van Gogh was looted by the Nazis, according to AP. Christie's will conduct the auction of "Wheatstacks" on November 11, Thursday, along with other artworks from the collection of Edwin L.Cox, a Texas oilman who died last year at the age of 99.

Vincent van Gogh's artwork auction

The artwork showcases three haystacks towering over harvest workers on a summer day, according to AP. In 1913, 'Wheatstacks' was bought by industrialist Max Meirowsky, who fled Germany fearing Nazi persecution in 1938. He entrusted 'Wheatstacks' to Paul Graupe, a German-Jewish art dealer who was working in Paris, reported The Art Newspaper. Later, Alexandrine de Rothschild, a member of the known Jewish banking family bought Vincent van Gogh's watercolour of 'Wheatstacks'. Alexandrine de Rothschild fled to Switzerland at the outbreak of World War II. Vincent van Gogh watercolour was seized by the Nazis during the Occupation.

After a few weeks, Vincent van Gogh's watercolour of 'Wheatstacks' was sent to Austria. After the war was over, Alexandrine de Rothschild tried to find the artwork 'Wheatstacks' but he was unable to recover it, reported The Art Newspaper. After the war, there has been no immediate information on the watercolour, however, Wildenstein gallery's New York branch took possession of the artwork in 1978. After one year, Wildenstein sold the Van Gogh painting to Cox, who hung it in the drawing-room of his house, reported The Art Newspaper. After Cox died in 2020, the sale of his art collection was arranged with Christie’s, and Meirowsky’s heir had claimed that the artwork was sold forcefully in 1938. The heirs of De Rothschild argued that the watercolour had been looted by the Nazi occupiers and both the parties agreed to a settlement.

(With Inputs from AP)

Image: AP