Vincent Van Gogh’s Painting Put On Public Display After 100 Years

Vincent Van Gogh’s painting of the Paris road appeared for the first time in public display and eye after spending more than 100 years in secret (behind closed door).

Street View in Montmartre has been owned by a French family for some time since its inception in 1887.

Part Of Private Collection

Sotheby estimates it could earn up to $ 8 million (US) at auction next month.

Van Gogh expert Martin Bailey told BBC News that this is “the first time we are able to see it properly”.

Slightly redesigned in the past, usually in black and white. “What is exciting is that it is a Van Gogh painting which has been hidden away ever since it came off the artist’s easel,” said Mr Bailey.

“It has always been in private collections, so only the owners and their friends knew it.

“It is an interesting picture because it is a transitional work between Van Gogh’s Dutch years, when he painted in dark, earthy colours, and the exuberant works that he did in Provence. It was in Paris that he discovered the Impressionists, and this led him to explore colour.”

‘Van Gogh Market Is Truly Global’

It is one of a series of works by Van Gogh while living with his brother Theo in 1886 and 1887 a short distance from the street shown in this painting.

The estimated price tag of five to eight million euros reflects the fact that the artist’s Paris paintings do not fetch the “mega sums” of his Provence paintings, added Mr Bailey, who writes a blog on Van Gogh for The Art Newspaper.

“But until the hammer goes down, one obviously never knows what will happen at an auction. There is now a great deal of interest in Van Gogh in the Far East, so the Van Gogh market is truly global.”

Painting To Be Auctioned

The painting will be on display at Sotho auction houses in Paris, Amsterdam and Hong Kong before being sold on March 25.

Sotheby’s said: “The appearance on the market of a work of this calibre, and from such an iconic series, is undoubtedly a major event.”

Montmartre was just across the countryside when the scene was painted. The windmill features prominently behind some perambulating locals. The famous Sacré-Cœur church that now dominates the area was under construction at the time.

Van Gogh left Paris for the south of France in 1888. He died near Paris in July 1890.