One of the finest large-scale water lily paintings ever to be auctioned by French painter Claude Monet (1840-1926) will be featured at Sotheby’s modern and impressionist art sale on May 12 in New York. Estimated $ 40 million, “Le Bassin aux Nymphéas”, painted in 1917-19 in the Giverny country house, is among the most iconic and celebrated Impressionist images.
This imposing canvas (measuring almost 102 x 200 cm) was conceived for Monet’s legendary series of monumental paintings depicting his water lily pond in Giverny, the “Grandes Décorations”, which he began in 1914 and of which examples can be seen today at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris and at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Innovative in their almost abstract treatment of the pond’s water surface and its reflections, these later works by Monet are recognized as an important bridge between impressionism and abstract expressionism.
With exceptional provenance, including the collection of famed Hollywood and Broadway producer Ray Stark and his wife Fran, this masterpiece will be exhibited in Taipei starting April 26 before returning to Sotheby’s gallery in New York, York. Avenue, for an exhibition by appointment starting May 1st.
Julian Dawes, co-chair of the New York Department of Modern and Impressionist Art, said: «Claude Monet is one of the best known and most loved artists of all time and ‘Le Bassin aux Nymphéas’ is an excellent example of his famous and famous series of water lilies. Sotheby’s has an outstanding history as a Monet auction house and holds the artist’s record with ‘Meules’ sold for $ 110 million in 2019.
We are now extremely excited to bring such an illustrious painting to market for the first time in nearly two decades. Notable example of Monet’s late period works in his beloved abode in Giverny, this monumental painting beautifully testifies how the water lily series has evolved over time, from his impressionist discoveries to a more abstract focus with his concern for pond light that reverberated on the flowers.
From this perspective, the work opens a completely new window and shows Monet’s influence on subsequent generations of artists who have expanded his radical concepts to full abstraction ».