Southgate Mall has a new resident: Vincent Van Gogh’s Untitled, 1889. Currently on view at Art Avenue, the story behind “the Sarasota Van Gogh” spans 127 years and two continents. 

The work, an oil on board piece, displays the flat perspective and unconventional color choices that characterize Van Gogh’s later work. The painting, which depicts an abstract landscape rendered in curved, flowing lines, features rolling hills, blue floral stalks with touches of pink and a green-speckled orange sky.

Not much is known about the work’s early ownership history, though most recently it was held by a prominent Prague family and housed at their estate for many years before being sold to its current owner in Cleveland. Art Avenue owner Paul Sykes, who represents the work, helped broker the deal with the Czech family, a process that, between negotiations and final transaction, took six months to complete. Untitled, 1889 boasts an international résumé including gallery shows in London and a 1978 exhibition in Switzerland. 

“Not only is it an exquisite work, it’s an original, not a print,” said Sykes. “It’s been exhibited in several international museums, including the Galerie Arteba in Zürich, so it has good providence, good pedigree. We’re very honored to have pieces like this.” 

The history of the painting itself is as murky as its title, though the 1889 completion date gives us a few clues. The work was completed in the year preceding Van Gogh’s suicide and could have been painted during his year-long stay at a Saint-Rémy asylum (where Van Gogh completed a number of now-legendary works, including Starry Night), or just prior when living in Arles.  

Art Avenue hosted a soft unveiling of Untitled, 1889 on May 5th, though the work’s true début to the public was held on May 26th during the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce’s induction of two new members, including Sykes. He estimates that the work has had four or five owners in its lifetime and, for a cool $15 million, the next one could be you.

Art Avenue, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, 440-227-4592