Monet Painting Becomes Most Expensive Artwork Ever Sold at Auction in France
Iris," a painting by Claude Monet, sold for €50 million in Paris, becoming the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction in France.
The 1.60 metre high and 1.80 metre 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 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.
Sotheby's said the painting was sold after a "thrilling" 45-minute long bidding battle.