PARIS — Two Unseen Monet Paintings to Go Up for Auction

PARIS, Sept 20 /ATSH-AFP/ — Two Claude Monet paintings that have never before been exhibited publicly will be sold in Paris next month.

The works are part of the collection of the wealthy French Schlumberger family, the auction house Sotheby’s announced.

One of them, “Iris”, is a large work Monet created in the final years of his life.

It is estimated at 22 to 30 million euros, which Sotheby’s describes as the highest estimate ever placed on a painting offered at auction in France.

“Iris” has a singular history. After being purchased by collector Jeanne Schlumberger (1889–1983), the painting remained in the family’s Paris home and was never publicly displayed.

Alongside “Iris”, three more Monets will be offered at the October 22 auction.

Among them is “Saule Pleureur” (Weeping Willow), estimated at 9 to 12 million euros.

The sale takes place in a symbolic year for Monet admirers: 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of his death on December 5, 1926.

For the anniversary, two exhibitions are planned in Paris, opening at the end of September.

The exhibitions are “Monet, Painting Time” and “Stories of Landscapes, from Monet to Hockney”, which will focus on Monet’s work and his influence on the history of landscape painting.