Van Gogh painting offered for sale at $180 million; heirs of its Jewish former owner demand the sale be halted

In depth

Van Gogh's "Chestnut Trees in Blossom," which has not been shown to the public in more than 50 years, is valued at $180 million and could break the auction record for a Van Gogh work at public auction. The work is due to take center stage at a New York sale on Wednesday, as part of an Argentine collection with an estimated value of about $450 million, which also includes works by Cézanne, Monet and Renoir.

Days before the sale, the heirs of the previous owner, who was Jewish, are demanding that it be halted. According to them, the painting was sold in 1936 in the shadow of Nazi persecution and under coercive conditions. Sotheby's maintains that the research conducted so far has not substantiated the claim, and commits to reaching an agreed solution.