Works by Two Impressionist Masters to Grace Christie's Hong Kong Auction

Vincent van Gogh's Les canots amarrés is widely expected to be the highlight of the auction to be held at the Henderson Hotel in Hong Kong on September 26th. The work has been part of the House of Bourbon royal family's collection for more than 30 years and is expected to fetch a record $30-50,000,000.

Van Gogh painted the picture in the summer of 1887 in Asnières, a fashionable suburb of Paris by the Seine River and a popular destination for boating enthusiasts. It was here in this sought-after summer retreat from the heat and clamor of the big city that the full breadth of the stylistic experience van Gogh had accumulated during his time in Paris came to fruition and his distinctive artistic style was born.

This work is thought to be part of the so-called Bord de la Seine à Asnières triptych, in which van Gogh goes beyond the formal aspect of his work—specifically his interest in impressionistic and pointillist color and brushwork—and responds directly to nature itself. He skilfully plays with color and light, and manages to perfectly capture the atmosphere of a bright summer's day in his paintings. This unique approach to landscape painting would go on to define van Gogh's work for the rest of his short but legendary career. The public exhibition and auction of this masterpiece, which has not been publicly presented for more than three decades, is an extraordinary historical moment.

Another highlight of Christie's September sale will be one of the early works from Claude Monet's famous Water Lilies series. One of the earliest paintings dedicated to the lily pond at the artist's home in Giverny, it belongs to the Monet family's private collection. Painted 125 years ago, the painting is estimated to be worth between $25-35,000,000.

Both works are expected to attract the attention of collectors and art lovers and further cement Christie's position as a world leader in bringing exceptional Western masterpieces to collectors in Asia.