Christie’s has found gold in the Hollywood hills. The art auctioneer’s season opening night saw Van Gogh’s “Vue de l’asile et de la Chapelle de Saint-Remy” fetch the most money of the evening ($16 million). It’s from the late actress Elizabeth Taylor’s art collection. Her father, the art dealer Francis Taylor, bought the painting for her in 1963 for £92,000 ($146,000 today), and it hung in her Bel Air mansion until her death last March.
The “l’asile” featured in the painting is the asylum where Van Gogh committed himself for a year, produced some of his most famous work including “Starry Night”, and spent his last months.