Van Gogh's extraordinary still life at Sotheby's auction

A work by Vincent van Gogh is once again taking center stage on the international art market: it is "Romans Parisiens (Les Livres jaunes)", an extraordinary still life painted in 1887 during the Dutch artist’s intensely productive Parisian years. The painting will be the highlight of Sotheby’s Modern Evening Auction in New York, where it is estimated at around 40 million dollars, a testament to the historical and collectible value the canvas has acquired over the years.

The work, coming from the prestigious collection of Cindy and Jay Pritzker, represents far more than a simple subject of books arranged on a table: it is a pictorial reflection on identity, knowledge, and contemporaneity. The yellow books that give the painting its title are the Charpentier editions, very popular at the end of the 19th century and instantly recognizable, symbols of a widespread culture that Van Gogh transforms into a work of art. This is not merely a still life, but rather a kind of symbolic self-portrait: the painter, a great lover of literature, assigns books a central role as a mirror of his own identity and a vehicle of personal passions.

This dialogue between art and literature becomes especially clear when considering the exhibition history of the painting. Van Gogh chose "Romans Parisiens (Les Livres jaunes)" as one of the three works he presented at his first official exhibition at the Salon des Indépendants in 1888. That event marked his first public consecration in Paris, consolidating his role within the avant-garde of the French capital. Showcasing this still life at the exhibition meant asserting not only the modernity of Van Gogh’s painting but also the profound connection between intellectual life, artistic research, and figurative innovation.

In Van Gogh’s artistic journey, books occupy a privileged place. The painter was an insatiable reader and found in literature a constant source of reflection and dialogue with the present. For him, reading was a direct way of understanding society and his role as both artist and individual: the book became a symbol of knowledge, empathy, and above all, of listening to others — values reflected in the visual discourse of his canvases. This cultural dialogue was also fundamental for Cindy Pritzker, the philanthropist who passed away in 2025 and was a great supporter of public libraries, for whom the Van Gogh held a place of honor in the family library. The canvas not only enriched the art collection but embodied a perfect synthesis between personal dimension and civic spirit, becoming both an individual and collective symbol.

The Pritzker collection, where "Romans Parisiens" remained for decades, represents one of the most refined expressions of modern and Impressionist art collecting. Built over nearly fifty years, it includes other seminal works such as Henri Matisse’s Léda et le cygne, a monumental triptych reinterpreting the classical myth with bold innovation. Also present is Paul Gauguin’s La Maison de Pen du, gardeuse de vache, a key canvas from the Pont-Aven period, where the French artist developed the synthetist style that would influence 20th-century art. Each painting in the collection was chosen not only for its historical importance but also for its power to inspire, creating a direct dialogue between the work, its setting, and the viewer’s experience.

Coming from such an eclectic and intellectually curious collection, the Van Gogh fits perfectly within a context where art and books, painting and period objects engage in a constant dialogue. The collection also includes treasures from various eras and cultures, such as a rare Tang dynasty enamel horse, a 15th-century portolan chart by Petrus Roselli, and a precious millefleur tapestry from Tournai dating back to the late Middle Ages. This variety of languages and traditions highlights the Pritzkers’ ability to look beyond market trends, selecting works that reflect intellectual and aesthetic passions and integrating them into the daily life of their home.

The Sotheby’s auction is thus shaping up to be one of the most significant events of 2025, both for the quantity and quality of the works on offer and for the stories that accompany them. Each piece tells a personal story and a vision of the world, and the return of Van Gogh’s "Romans Parisiens (Les Livres jaunes)" to the market takes on a special significance. The canvas, created during a crucial phase, reflects the artist’s ability to engage with modernity and the intellectual vibrancy of late 19th-century Paris.

The estimated economic value of the work reflects both the rarity of the subject, relatively unusual within Van Gogh’s oeuvre, and the importance the painting held in the artist’s career and in the history of Parisian artistic events. The figure of 40 million dollars mirrors the international demand for Van Gogh’s art and the iconic status his works have achieved in the collective imagination of both the public and collectors. More than the economic figure, what stands out is the cultural resonance surrounding the reappearance on the market of a painting closely tied to ideas of individual growth, curiosity, and creative affirmation.

Looking at "Romans Parisiens (Les Livres jaunes)", one sees not only a celebration of the book as an object but also a reflection on painting as a tool of knowledge. The composition, the luminous colors, the treatment of light, and the arrangement of volumes evoke a Paris in ferment, Van Gogh’s dialogue with his own time, and the tension between solitude and sociability that runs through his entire body of work. The still life of books thus becomes a story about identity, culture, and the power of art to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. The bond between Van Gogh and books lives not only in the canvas but also in the gestures and choices of those, like the Pritzker family, who entrusted the work with the task of embodying memory, passion, and vision.

The year 2025 will therefore see the spotlight return to one of Van Gogh’s most fascinating and evocative canvases, a protagonist in a story of collecting that intertwines with both the public and private history of art and culture. Around it will revolve bids, museum projects, and perhaps new stories of patronage, because "Romans Parisiens (Les Livres jaunes)" encapsulates both the ability of an artist to tell the story of his time and the way a family chose to live with art in their everyday lives, making each work a bridge between personal experience and universal destiny.