Cezanne Under Wraps Since 1953 Could Fetch $20M

A Metropolitan Museum of Art catalog in 2011 listed a 19th-century watercolor Paul Cezanne made as a study for his Card Players series as "whereabouts unknown." No more: The work, which Reuters describes as "rare" and "pristine," was discovered by Christie's as it worked with the estate of Dr. Heniz Eichenwald, who died in September. Last seen in public in 1953, the work on paper is expected to fetch as much as $20 million when it hits the block in May.

Eichenwald's family has possessed the work for eight decades. Explains Christie's president, "They were very private people. The art was for their enjoyment rather than for public display. It was not hidden away in the house, it was enjoyed. But it wasn't as important for their social position as it was for them." Reuters notes that it has been a decade since a work on paper headlined a sale of Impressionist and Modern art. (More Cezanne stories.)