Claude Monet’s painting “Iris,” created during the later years of his life, was auctioned off on Thursday in Paris for an impressive €50 million, including fees. This sale marks the highest price ever paid for a piece of artwork at an auction in France, according to Sotheby’s, as reported by AFP.
The artwork was unveiled to the public for the first time, previously only known through a black-and-white photograph, according to Agerpres.
This painting was sold by Monet’s family to Jeanne Schlumberger, described by Thomas Bompard, co-director of Sotheby’s modern and contemporary art department in France, as a “genius art collector.” Prior to the auction, the piece was estimated to sell for between €22 million and €30 million. In September, Sotheby’s announced that it was the “highest estimate assigned to a painting presented at an auction in France.”
Three National Treasures Withdrawn from Sale
Sotheby’s also revealed that three paintings by Paul Cézanne, classified as “national treasures,” were withdrawn from sale just hours before the auction, to be returned to the artist’s hometown of Aix-en-Provence.
The American auction house noted that an agreement was reached between the current owners and the city of Aix-en-Provence, which, supported by the Ministry of Culture, intends to acquire these works for the Granet Museum.
In a separate auction held by Christie’s on Thursday, 26 artworks were sold, including two paintings by Monet: “Bord des falaises à Pourville” for €12.7 million and “Trois pots de tulipes” for €3.1 million. Additionally, Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s painting “Jeunes filles au bord de la mer” sold for €5.8 million, while Pablo Picasso’s “Nature morte au gruyère” fetched €3 million.
