Van Gogh's Orchard with Cypresses tops auction list at $117m

A ranking of the ten most expensive Van Gogh paintings sold at auction reveals shifting market dynamics, with Orchard with Cypresses leading at $117m in 2022. The list includes Portrait of Dr Paul Gachet ($83m in 1990), Labourer in a Field ($81m in 2017), Self-portrait without a Beard ($72m in 1998), Wooden Cabins among the Olive Trees and Cypresses ($71m in 2021), The Avenue of Les Alyscamps ($66m in 2015), Parisian Novels ($63m in 2025), Poppies and Daisies ($62m in 2014), Irises ($54m in 1987), and Landscape under Stormy Sky ($54m in 2015). Notably, Parisian Novels set a record for Van Gogh's Paris period. The market has shifted from North America and Europe to East Asia, with many works going to Chinese buyers. Private sales include Portrait of Joseph Roulin (MoMA), Wheatfield with Cypresses (Met), and Girl against a Background of Wheat (Steve Wynn, now Steven Cohen). Recent auctions in Hong Kong indicate growing Asian demand. The most expensive watercolour is Wheatstacks ($36m, 2021), and the priciest drawing is Sower in a Wheatfield with setting Sun ($11m, 2025).