On October 22, Sotheby’s in Paris will auction the Jean Schlumberger collection—one of the most significant private collections of Impressionist and modern art ever to appear at a French auction.
The star lot is Claude Monet’s «Irises», painted in Giverny in 1924–1925, shortly before the artist’s death.
The painting remained out of the public eye for decades. After Monet’s death, it passed to his son Michel, then to the renowned Parisian gallerist Katia Granoff, and from her to the collection of Jeanne Schlumberger.
It was Granoff and Schlumberger who were among the first to see in the late Monet not the waning of Impressionism, but the near-abstract painting of the 20th century.
Sotheby’s estimates «Irises» at 22–30 million euros.
Another late Monet—»Weeping Willow», painted around 1918–1919—will also appear at the auction, with an estimate of €9–12 million. It shares the same provenance: Monet, his son Michel, Katia Granoff, and the Schlumberger collection.
Jeanne Schlumberger (1889–1983) assembled her collection over the course of some forty years. She belonged to the famous Schlumberger family—the prominent Alsatian industrial dynasty that also produced Jean Schlumberger, the legendary Tiffany & Co. jeweler. They represented different branches of the family.
In addition to Monet, works by Cézanne, Bonnard, Gustave Moreau, Courbet, Camille Claudel, Delacroix, and Soutine will be offered at auction.
The total estimated value of the collection exceeds 40 million euros.
Pre-auction viewing:
Paris
16 Oct • 10:00 — 18:00
17 Oct • 10:00 — 18:00
18 Oct • 14:00 — 18:00
19 Oct • 10:00 — 21:00
20 Oct • 10:00 — 18:00
21 Oct • 10:00 — 16:00
22 Oct • 10:00 — 12:00
83, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré 75008 Paris
