The Van Gogh Legacy

The following is from Robert L. Moshman, Esq., Vincent van Gogh, published in the April 2008 issue of The Estate Analyst:

The van Gogh estate isn't set up as a marketing machine that generates huge earnings. There aren't tours as with Graceland for the Elvis estate.**** But consider what the output of Vincent van Gogh is worth today as another gauge of value.

In 1990, 100 years after the artist's death, van Gogh's Portrait of Dr. Gachet sold for $82.5 million which was then the highest price ever paid for a painting. There are 900 paintings and 1,100 other works by van Gogh, though not all are as valuable. If the 900 paintings averaged $50 million apiece that would amount to a mind-boggling $45 billion.***

But let us flash forward 100 years or 500 years. Many rock stars will have come and gone and there may be scant interest in a pompadoured hip shaker of the mid 20th century.***

By contrast, the finest examples of Van Gogh, being rare collectibles coveted by museums, will continue to be the ultimate status symbol for the collections of the super rich.