Fifty million euros, commissions included, for «Iris» by Claude Monet. The monumental work, painted by the master of Impressionism towards the end of his life, was sold at auction in Paris, setting, according to Sotheby’s, the record for a work of art sold at auction in France.
A result higher than estimated
Before the sale, the painting’s valuation fluctuated between 22 and 30 million euros. The final price, including commissions, reached 50 million. The canvas, 1.60 meters high and 1.80 meters wide, was presented to the public for the first time: it had never left the Parisian residence of the Schlumberger family.