Two Long-Unseen Monet Paintings to Be Auctioned at Sotheby's Paris

Two paintings by Claude Monet that have been out of public view for approximately a century will be offered at Sotheby's Paris in April. The first work, 'Les Îles de Port-Villez' from 1883, depicts wooded islands in the Seine River near Giverny. It was created from Monet's studio boat and has been held privately for about 115 years, last exhibited in the early 1900s at Paul Durand-Ruel's New York gallery. The painting is estimated to sell for €3-5 million. Thomas Bompard of Sotheby's Paris noted that Monet's approach in this work, with its energetic brushwork and focus on a chosen landscape segment, prefigured his later water lily series. The second painting, 'Vétheuil, Effet du Matin' from around 1901, shows the village of Vétheuil from across the Seine. Painted from a rented house in Lavacourt, it represents a later period when Monet had achieved fame and used a car for travel. This work is part of a series of 15 and carries an estimate of €6-8 million. Bompard described these as the most valuable Monet works to appear at auction in France since 2001. Monet's auction record was set in 2019 when 'Meules' sold for $111 million. While paintings from his 1880s Port-Villez period rarely come to market, a Vétheuil canvas sold for $3.2 million in 2025, exceeding its estimate. The reappearance of these century-hidden works presents a rare opportunity for collectors.