Van Gogh landscape sells for record $117 million

A landscape by Vincent van Gogh sold for $117 million, topping a global auction record for the artist that had been set more than 30 years ago, Bloomberg reported.

The painting in question,Verger avec Cyprès (1888), depicts a pastel-hued spring day. It’s part of an auction at Christie’s of works from Paul Allen’s estate. In total, the sale is expected to bring in more than $1 billion. Including buyer’s premium, the van Gogh as Lot No. 22 out of 60 pushes totals over the $700 million mark.

The van Gogh carried a steep presale estimate of $100 million, already $17.5 million more than the artist’s Portrait du Dr. Gachet sold for in 1990, which at the time was a record price for any work of art at auction. Since then, no van Gogh has sold for more than that amount, until Wednesday night.