Monet's personal effects to be auctioned

Take a glimpse into the private life of Claude Monet

A personal collection of the artworks and effects of the founder of French Impressionism, Claude Monet, will soon be up for auction. Titled Dear Monsieur Monet, Christie’s will hold the auction in Hong Kong on November 26, offering some of Monet’s personal objects and private artworks.

The collection ranges from early sketches to pastels and includes some of the first examples of the artist working in series. These early works by Monet begin to trace his artistic development. These are complimented by his own collection of friends’ and revered artists’ work and effects, including pieces from Édouard Manet, Eugène Boudin, Auguste Rodin, Paul Signac among others. These Japanese prints, personal items and photographs of the artist make it possible to become immersed in the private world of a very well known artist.

Adrien Meyer, Co-Chairman of the Impressionist and Modern Department at Christie’s commented: “this collection provides an intimate insight into the life of Monet the artist, and Monet the collector. Not only can we witness the development of Monet’s style but we trace what inspired him to strive for ground-breaking modes of representation.”

Previously hidden from the world, the collection has only been seen in catalogue reproductions but is currently on tour to before going to auction. Shown first in Paris, the tour is currently on display in London, then moves to by New York, Beijing and Shanghai, before going on display and then to auction in Hong Kong.

There’s an opportunity for collectors of all levels to acquire personal items from the man considered the godfather of Impressionism. Prices range from $500 – $3,000,000 across the collection.

Lot 32 : Claude Monet (1840-1926). Trois arbres à Giverny (Peupliers). Stamped with signature. Painted in 1887. Estimate: $2,500,000 - $3,500,000. ©Christie’s Images Ltd, 2017.
 

Lot 25: Paul Signac (1863-1935), Letter to Claude Monet. Dated, located and dedicated “Chemin de Richelieu La Rochelle. 21 Juillet 1920 Cher Monsieur Monet.” Signed “Paul Signac.” Executed in La Rochelle, 21 July 1920. Estimate: $50,000 - $100,000. ©Christie’s Images Ltd, 2017.
 

Lot 58: a pair of spectacles. A pair of golden metal spectacles, round eye wires and short temples terminating by flexible ends, illegible maker’s mark. Estimate: $1,000 - $1,500. ©Christie’s Images Ltd, 2017.
 

Lot 57: a French silver cheese knife circa 1880, maker’s mark illegible. Louis XVI style with guilloché, oak and laurel leaves, in the center a ribboned medallion engraved with the initials “CM”, with steel blade, marked: Minerve and maker. Estimate: $300 - $500. ©Christie’s Images Ltd, 2017.
 

Lot 45: a glazed biscuit cat Japan, late Edo-early Meiji period, 19th century. Estimate: $3,000 - $5,000. ©Christie’s Images Ltd, 2017.
 

Lot 24: Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), Salomé. Gouache, watercolor, brown and pink ink and pencil on laid paper. Executed circa 1895-97. Estimate : $50,000 - $80,000. ©Christie’s Images Ltd, 2017.
 

Lot 22: Claude Monet (1840-1926), Falaises des Petites-Dalles. Stamped with signature, painted near Les Petites-Dalles in 1884. Estimate: $2,000,000 - $3,000,000. ©Christie’s Images Ltd, 2017.