The key facts

  • Monet's 'Irises' sold for €50 million ($56 million) — a record for French auctions
  • The painting was put up for auction for the first time: it had never left the Schlumberger family's mansion
  • Three Cézanne 'national treasures' were withdrawn from sale on the eve of the auction for a possible return to Aix-en-Provence

Record Result at the Sotheby's Sale

Claude Monet's monumental painting 'Irises' (Iris) was sold on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at the Sotheby's auction in Paris for €50 million ($56 million) including the buyer's premium. According to AFP, this is the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction in France. The canvas, 1.60 m high and 1.80 m wide, was painted by Monet in the final years of his life.

A Painting Known Only from a Black-and-White Photograph

According to Sotheby's figures cited by AFP, the work had never left the Paris mansion of the billionaire Schlumberger family and was known to the public only from a black-and-white photograph. It was acquired by Jeanne Schlumberger (1889–1983), noted Thomas Bompard, co-head of the Modern and Contemporary Art department at Sotheby's France. The starting estimate was €22–30 million — according to the auction house, the highest estimate ever given to a painting offered at auction in France.

Other Lots and Parallel Christie's Sale

Alongside 'Irises,' three more Monet canvases were offered at the sale, including 'Weeping Willow' (Saule Pleureur) with an estimate of €9–12 million. The same day, Christie's held a separate sale in Paris at which 26 works were sold, including two Monet canvases: 'Cliff Edge at Pourville' for €12.7 million and 'Three Pots of Tulips' for €3.1 million. Auguste Renoir's 'Girls by the Sea' went for €5.8 million, and Pablo Picasso's 'Still Life with Gruyère' for €3 million. Christie's total sales amounted to €41.6 million including premium.

Cézannes Withdrawn from the Sale

A few hours before the auction began, three paintings by Paul Cézanne, classified as 'national treasures,' were withdrawn from sale. According to Sotheby's representatives, this was done 'with the aim of returning them to the artist's homeland, in Aix-en-Provence.' The decision followed an agreement between the current owners and the city of Aix-en-Provence, which, with the support of the French Ministry of Culture, is considering acquiring these works.

The Centenary of Monet's Death

The sale takes place in the year marking the centenary of Monet's death on December 5, 1926. This date is being commemorated in Paris with two exhibitions — 'Monet. Painting Time' and 'Stories of the Landscape: from Monet to Hockney.'