Monet's 'Iris' Fetches $56.2 Million, Shattering French Auction Record in Paris

Claude Monet's Iris sold for €50 million ($56.2 million) at Sotheby's Paris on Thursday, becoming the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction in France. Six collectors fought over the canvas for 45 minutes before it went to a private buyer in Asia, bidding by phone through Sotheby's deputy chairman Jen Hua. The painting had carried an estimate of €22 million to €30 million — it cleared the top figure by two-thirds.

The result anchors a new benchmark for the French market. The sale, drawn from the collection of Jeanne Schlumberger, whose family built its fortune in oil services, totaled €74.4 million ($83.7 million) — the highest figure ever for a fine art auction at Sotheby's Paris. Every lot found a buyer. Nearly three-quarters of them sold above their high estimates.

What drove the numbers?

Monet carried the evening. A second canvas, Saule pleureur ou L'Arbre de feu, depicting a weeping willow from his garden at Giverny, fetched €9.7 million ($10.9 million). Two further Monets followed: La Seine à Vernon, Arbres (1894) at €4.3 million ($4.8 million) and La Maison à Travers les Roses at €2.5 million ($2.9 million).

The four paintings share an unusually traceable history. All passed from Monet to his son Michel, then to the dealer Katia Granoff, and finally into the Schlumberger collection. They had remained in private hands for decades.

Jeanne Schlumberger began collecting seriously in the 1950s, working closely with Granoff at a time when Monet's late paintings were far less fashionable than they are today. In 1958, she appears to have helped finance Granoff's purchase of works from Michel Monet's studio, giving the dealer access to paintings that would become some of the artist's most sought-after.

What happened to the Cézannes?

Three early Paul Cézanne paintings never reached the block. Sotheby's announced Thursday that the works, recently designated French national treasures, had been withdrawn after discussions between the Schlumberger family and the city of Aix-en-Provence, Cézanne's hometown. The city now intends to acquire them for the Musée Granet, with support from France's Ministry of Culture.

Records beyond Monet

The rest of the catalogue produced its own headlines:

• Pierre Bonnard's La Cueillette des Prunes, unexhibited since 1956, sold for €2.5 million ($2.9 million) — more than three times its €800,000 high estimate and a French auction record for the artist.
• Gustave Moreau's work on paper Rêve d'Orient brought €1.4 million ($1.6 million), a new auction record for a drawing by the artist.
• Camille Claudel's bronze La Valse, cast in 1905, sold for €832,000 ($935,000), more than double its low estimate.

Sotheby's described the evening as a strong opening for its Paris sales. The house returns Friday with auctions devoted to modern art and Surrealism — a test of whether Thursday's momentum, powered by Asian demand and fresh-to-market provenance, can carry through the rest of the season. All reported sale prices include buyer's premium.