A rare watercolor by Post-impressionist master Paul Cezanne, thought to have been lost, has reemerged and is expected to fetch between $15 million and $20 million at auction in New York, Christie's said Tuesday.
The study for the painting Joueur des cartes ("Card Players") was last seen in public in 1953 but has now been found in a private collection in Texas, the auction house said.
It will be a highlight of the auction house's Impressionist sales in New York on May 1.
The Card Players were an important five-painting series completed by Cezanne between 1890-1896.
The study was previously known to the public only through a black and white photograph, but it was rediscovered this year in the collection of the late Dr. Heinz Eichenwald, a medical expert and art collector.