[intro]Now Available at Half Price . . . Maybe[/intro]

The eagle-eyed Georgina Adam picked up on this consignor’s move. Not only was this Van Gogh at TEFAF, it was shown at Palm Beach and surely shopped to a number of different potential buyers. In a few week or so, we’ll know better whether it can attract buyers at a greatly reduced auction estimate:

Among Christie’s stars for its June sale is the beautiful “Parc de l’hôpital Saint-Paul” (1889) by Van Gogh, a view of the artist’s asylum in St Rémy-de-Provence. But the painting, for all its charm, has had its price trimmed since it was featured – with its own booklet – at the Maastricht European Fine Art Fair last year. Then it was on Dickinson’s stand, priced at $25m (£15m at that time), coming from a private Swiss collection. “We did have interest,” says James Roundell of the dealership, “but we weren’t able to conclude a sale at the time.” Now, in Christie’s sale, its estimate is a more sober £8m-£12m.

The Art Market: Basel–and Some London Blockbusters (Financial Times)