Claude Monet's 'Iris' becomes most expensive artwork sold at auction in France, Sotheby's says
The sale set a new auction record in France after six bidders drove the price far above its estimate.
- Claude Monet's painting "Iris" sold at Sotheby's Paris auction yesterday for a record-breaking price, exceeding the 30 million euro estimate and becoming the most expensive painting ever auctioned in France.
- The 1.60 by 1.80 metre work had remained in the billionaire Schlumberger family's Paris mansion, known only through a black-and-white photograph before the auction exposed it to public view.
- Hours before the auction, Sotheby withdrew three Paul Cézanne paintings classified as "national treasures," aiming for their return to the artist's hometown of Aix-en-Provence with French culture ministry support.
- Concurrently, Christie's Paris auction sold 26 works totaling 41.6 million euros, including Monet's "Bord des falaises à Pourville" for 12.7 million and "Trois pots de tulipes" for 3.1 million euros.
- This year marks the centenary of Monet's death on December 5, 1926, commemorated by two Paris exhibitions: "Monet, Painting Time" and "Stories of Landscapes, from Monet to Hockney.
133 Articles
133 Articles
The painting, which belonged for decades to the private collection of the Schlumberger family, has been sold for 50 million euros The self-portrait of Van Gogh who was hidden behind another painting for more than a century “After an exciting 45-minute bidding battle, this landscape of the Giverny period of Monet reached 50 million euros. It was the star piece of Le Temps Retrouvé: The Schlumberger Collection, a collection of 20 masterpieces of m…
Despite a Turbulent Art Week, the Paris Auctions Delivered Stellar Results
A cautious market rallied around historical storytelling and blue-chip names, with little room for surprises beyond the presale arrangements. Claude Monet’s 'Iris' achieved €50 million at Sotheby’s, becoming the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction in France, while the Schlumberger and Durand-Ruel collections demonstrated the enduring appeal of notable provenance.
A painting by French impressionist Claude Monet, Iris, which had never been exhibited and was known to the public only from a single black-and-white photograph, has been auctioned in Paris for more than 50 million euros (1.2 billion CZK). This is a record price for an artwork ever sold at auction in France.
This Massive, 'Mega-Rare' Monet Painting Is Now the Most Expensive Artwork Ever Sold at Auction in France
The Impressionist painted "Iris" a year or two before his death, at a time when his work was becoming increasingly abstract and falling out of favor with critics. Now, it’s considered a masterpiece ahead of its time
Never before has a painting been sold at auction in Paris for such a high price as it was at Sotheby’s, where Monet’s Irises was sold for 43 million euros. Including commissions, its new owner paid over 18 billion forints for it. While the celebration was taking place in the auction room, outside the walls, dealers were busy trying to rescue the work from the Grand Palais, the venue for the event. The organizers of Art Basel closed the fair two …
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 39% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
