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The Mystery of the Disappearing van Gogh
The bidding for Lot 17 started at 23 million.
In the packed room at Sothebys in Manhattan, the price quickly climbed 32 million, 42 million, 48 million.
His offer was the highest ever for a van Gogh still life at auction.
In the discreet world of highend art, buyers often remain anonymous.
Then a new prospective buyer, calling from China, made it a contest between just two people.
On the block that evening in November 2014 were works by Impressionist painters and Modernist sculptors that would make the auction the mostsuccessful yet in the firms history.