PARIS - Iris, a monumental painting by Impressionist Claude Monet, sold for €50 million (S$70 million) including buyer fees in Paris on Oct 22, becoming the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction in France.
The 1.60m high and 1.8m wide work had never left the billionaire Schlumberger family’s mansion in Paris and was known only through a black-and-white photograph.
It was acquired by Jeanne Schlumberger (1889–1983), according to Thomas Bompard, co-head of the Modern and Contemporary Art Department at Sotheby’s France.
Iris had been estimated at between €22 million and €30 million, “the highest valuation ever given to a painting offered at auction in France,” Sotheby’s noted when presenting the sale.
It was painted by Monet in his twilight years.
Alongside Iris, three other canvases by Monet were included in the sale, among them “Saule Pleureur” (Weeping Willow), valued at €9 million to €12 million.
The sale comes in the year marking the centenary of Monet’s death on Dec 5, 1926, which is being commemorated by two Paris exhibitions – Monet, Painting Time and Stories Of Landscapes, From Monet To Hockney.
Three paintings by Paul Cezanne classified as “national treasures” were withdrawn from the sale a few hours before the auction began “with a view to their return to the artist’s hometown, Aix-en-Provence,” Sotheby’s said.
It followed an agreement between the current owners and the city of Aix-en-Provence, which, with the support of the French culture ministry, is considering acquiring these works.
Another Paris auction by Christie’s on Oct 22 saw 26 works being sold, including two Monet paintings – “Bord des falaises a Pourville”, which went for €12.7 million and “Trois pots de tulipes”, which sold for €3.1 million.
A work by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, “Jeunes filles au bord de la mer,” fetched €5.8 million, while “Nature morte au gruyere” by Pablo Picasso sold for €3 million.
The total amount of Christie’s sale was €41.6 million, buyers fees included. AFP