Record-breaking Monet in London: Sotheby's brings Europe's most expensive Monet ever estimated to auction

Two masterpieces by Claude Monet, created almost 40 years apart, will be among the highlights of theevening auction of modern and contemporary art organized by Sotheby’s in London on June 24. The two works symbolically represent the beginning and high point of Monet’s career, inspired by two fundamental themes of his production: the water lily garden at Giverny and his wife Camille. Leading the sale will be Nymphéas (1907), an exquisite work dedicated to the famous waterlily garden at Giverny, which boasts the highest estimate (between £30 million and £40 million) ever attributed to a work by the artist auctioned in Europe. It is joined by Camille assise sur la plage à Trouville, a delicate portrait of the artist’s wife on the Normandy coast in the summer of 1870, with an estimate of between £7 million and £10 million.

Both paintings come from the same private collection and share an important collecting history in the United States. Nymphéas remained for nearly four decades in the collection of noted collector and patron Anne Bass, while Camille assise sur la plage à Trouville formerly belonged to Peggy and David Rockefeller. Viewed together, these works allow us to follow Monet’s evolutionary path. The portrait of his wife, made at the dawn of Impressionism, restores a fleeting moment characterized by the wind; Nymphéas, on the other hand, executed at the height of the artist’s creative maturity, testifies to his innovative interpretation of landscape, light and visual perception.

Claude Monet - Nymphéas (1907)
Estimate: £30-40 million
lot 107

Created at a significant stage in the artist’s career, Nymphéas belongs to the famous water lily cycle executed between 1904 and 1909, a period during which Monet revolutionized the very concept of landscape painting. By eliminating the traditional horizon and attenuating spatial references, he transformed the surface of the pond into a universe of light, color and reflections. For him, the water lily garden at Giverny represented an inexhaustible source of suggestions, thanks to its constant atmospheric changes and endless color variations. Subtle contrasts between depth and surface, distance and proximity, permanence and change coexist in this work, all harmonized by a vibrant, shifting luminosity. The painting is made in the rare square format, an innovative compositional choice that played a decisive role in Monet’s artistic research. Abandoning conventional horizontal and vertical settings, the artist eliminates all reference to the horizon, accentuating the immersive, almost abstract character of the scene. This solution allows the viewer to focus on the floating water lilies and the delicate play of reflections in the water. The work marks a departure from the landscape tradition and anticipates developments that will be fundamental to abstract art in the twentieth century.

Claude Monet - Camille assise sur la plage à Trouville (1870)
Estimate: £7-10 million
lot 118

Painted in a decisive period for the establishment of Impressionism, this fine portrait of Camille Monet, the artist’s first wife, constitutes an important testimony to en plein air painting, characterized by freshness of execution, spontaneity and visual immediacy. Depictions dedicated to Camille are very rare, and this work belongs to the small group of portraits of the woman that have appeared on the international market. The painting has never been exhibited or sold in the United Kingdom, and during its history it has been shown to the public only once, in Paris in 1970. Unlike many seascapes made by Monet in the 1860s, which generally focused on coastal and maritime activities, this scene privileges a private and affective dimension.

The work remained in the artist’s personal collection until 1875, when it was purchased by the poet and critic Émile Blémont, an early supporter of the Impressionist movement. Executed in the summer of 1870, shortly before the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War, the work conveys a serene atmosphere far removed from the political tensions of the time. Shortly thereafter, Monet would move to London with Camille and their son, taking with him some of the works created at this pivotal moment in his career.

Record-breaking Monet in London: Sotheby's brings Europe's most expensive Monet ever estimated to auction

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.