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New York (dpa) - One of the last paintings by Vincent Van Gogh still in a private collection - a work known as "L'Arlesienne, Madame Ginoux" - will be auctioned off in May for an expected price of over 40 million dollars, the auction house Christie's said Wednesday.
The sale will take place on May 2 as part of an Impressionist and Modern Art auction at Christie's at Rockefeller Centre in New York.
L'Arlesienne was painted in 1890 by Van Gogh for his famous friend, fellow painter Paul Gauguin, who was at the time confined in an asylum in Saint Remy de Provence. It was one of a series of five oils Van Gogh painted for Gauguin, who died at the asylum.
The subject of the painting, Madame Ginoux, owner a cafe frequented by the two artists, served as a model for a series of sketches done by both Van Gogh and Gauguin.
Christie's said the painting, which came from the Bakwin Family Collection, depicts Madame Ginoux wearing a pink and white dress against a floral background. It was done in soft palette to emphasize her feminity.
Copyright 2006 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
