Van Gogh work could sell for $40 million

NEW YORK, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- A rare Van Gogh painting could fetch as much as $40 million when it goes under the hammer in New York, it was reported Wednesday.

Van Gogh's 1890 "L'Arlesienne, Madame Ginoux" is one of a series of five paintings he created in homage to his friend, artist Paul Gauguin, the BBC said.

The subject of the painting was the artists' landlord during the time Van Gogh cut off his ear. He painted the portrait while he was recovering in a French asylum.

The Van Gogh painting will be auctioned off May 2 during the Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale at New York's Rockefeller Center.