愛污传媒

Skip to main content

Early works by French master Monet could sell for US$50 million in auction

Five of Claude Monet's early paintings will be auctioned by Sotheby's in March 2021. (Sotheby's via CNN) Five of Claude Monet's early paintings will be auctioned by Sotheby's in March 2021. (Sotheby's via CNN)
Share

Several early works by one of the world's most renowned Impressionist painters, , are to be put up for sale by the British auction house , with a combined estimate of US$50 million.

The five paintings, which together chart the French master's shift to a more abstract style over a 15-year period, will be offered for auction in London in March, Sotheby's said.

The works all predate 1900 -- which means they offer an insight into the artist's development and style before he painted the most celebrated pieces from his "Water Lilies" series in the early 20th century.

"In charting the progression towards his great waterlily paintings, these five stunning works brilliantly articulate the story of Monet as the father of modern art," said Helena Newman, chairman of Sotheby's Europe and worldwide head of Impressionist and Modern art.

"Les Demoiselles de Giverny", estimated to be worth between 拢15-20 million ($25-27 million), features one of the Parisian painter's most recognizable and most commonly recurring motifs -- grainstacks or 'meulettes', which appear more loosely formed than the finished , according to Sotheby's.

It is the highest valued of the five works in the collection.

Another of the paintings, a canvas populated entirely by flowers titled "Massif de chrysanth猫mes" from 1897, can be viewed as a precursor for Monet's most famous works from the "Water Lilies" series, Sotheby's said in a press release. In fact, his first water lily paintings date from the exact same year that he produced these close-ups of flowers.

Sotheby's said that "Massif de chrysanth猫mes" was highly likely to have been inspired by the legendary Japanese printmaker -- who created the famous "The Great Wave Off Kanagawa" -- as Monet owned his "Large Flowers" pieces and was fascinated by the country, to the point that Japanese prints decorated his walls.

"Gla莽ons, environs de Bennecourt," included in the collection, also demonstrates Monet's journey towards the later water lily paintings, the auction house said. This painting conveys the effect of heavy snow and frost on the Seine, and the artist's depiction of the ice on the river's surface is not dissimilar to the portrayal of flowers on the water in the works he began a few years later, Sotheby's noted.

The paintings will go in display in Sotheby's galleries in New York, Hong Kong, Taipei and London before the sale on March 2.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Angela Salvatore had been away from her father's hospital bedside for just over an hour when she says she got a frantic call from a nurse, pleading with her to calm him down.

A veteran Ottawa journalist is firing back against what he says are "entirely false" claims by a former Conservative cabinet minister that he acted as a Russian agent.

Canadian Ryan James Wedding finished in 24th place in the parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, but the snowboarder wouldn鈥檛 go on to improve his results in Torino four years later.

The mystery of a 100-year-old letter sent from Manitoba to Ireland is slowly unraveling thanks to the work of one amateur sleuth.

Local Spotlight

A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.