Christie’s, which will auction the collection on November 26, said it will be the very first sale dedicated to Impressionism organised in Asia, where Monet is popular.
Lots in the ‘Dear Monsieur Monet’ sale include works by Édouard Manet, Auguste Rodin and Paul Signac as well as personal items such as photographs and his spectacles.
The collection has come to auction via the family of Rolande Verneiges, the daughter of Monet’s son Michel.
Although Michel (1878-1966) left many Monet artworks and objects to France’s Académie des Beaux-Arts and its Marmottan Museum, this auction reveals that a number of works had been given to Verneiges, who died in 2008. Christie’s described her as “an unrecognised yet protected daughter” and her relatives are now selling these items.
Intimate insight
Adrien Meyer, co-chairman of the Impressionist and Modern Department at Christie’s, said: “The items in the auction have remained with the family of Claude Monet right until this day. This collection provides an intimate insight into the life of Monet the artist and Monet the collector. Not only can we witness the development of Monet’s style but we trace what inspired him to strive for ground-breaking modes of representation.”
The collection, which has lots with estimates ranging between $500 to $3m, will be on view at Christie’s King Street in London between September 30 and October 7, before going to New York, Beijing and Shanghai ahead of the auction in November.
The auction will also be broadcast live at Christie’s Paris for European collectors.
