A previously unseen painting by Claude Monet is expected to fetch more than US$65 million when it goes up for sale in New York, USA, early next month, according to a statement released by auction house Christie’s.
Titled “Le bassin aux nymphéas” or “Lake of water lilies,” the two-meter-wide painting is part of Monet’s famous “Water Lilies” series, depicting light splashing across water, casting reflections from water lilies and willows.
The painting was painted around 1917 or 1919, dating from the last period of Monet’s life, when the artist produced a series of works depicting water lilies (water plants) that now hang in museums around the world.
And after nearly a lifetime of studying color and light, this painting “captures the dynamism and beauty of nature’s transience, exploring ephemeral atmosphere, seasonal flowers, water depths, and shimmering reflections of light,” the statement said. from Christie’s.
See also: Louvre Museum closed due to suspected bomb
Until now, the painting has remained in the same family collection for more than 50 years, “impeccably preserved and hidden away,” said Max Carter, vice president of 20th and 21st century art at Christie’s, in a statement.
“With Monet, seemingly everything has already been seen or said,” Carter added. “Le bassin aux nymphéas, which has never been exhibited or offered at auction, is nevertheless that rarest of things: a rediscovered masterpiece.”
The painting will be offered at Christie’s Evening Sale of 20th Century Works on November 9.
As a leader of the Impressionist movement, Monet had a significant impact on the art world, influencing his contemporaries such as Vincent van Gogh as well as later abstract expressionist painters such as Jackson Pollock.
His paintings are now emblematic of Impressionism itself, eliminating the initial critical ambivalence towards them to become some of the most recognized pieces of art across the world.
Significant Monet paintings have fetched exorbitant sums of money at auctions. Another painting from the “Water Lilies” series sold for $84.7 million at Christie’s in May 2018, while a painting from the “Haystacks” series sold for $110.7 million at Sotheby’s a year later.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
