Monet fails to break through at Sotheby's and Christie's London winter auctions

Sotheby's and Christie's held their winter auctions in London in February 2019, drawing 9,000 visitors to Sotheby's previews. Monet was the star lot for both houses: Sotheby's offered a Venetian view that had remained in the same family since 1926, estimated at £20-30 million, which sold for £24 million (£27.5 million with buyer's premium, a record for Monet's Venetian views, likely to a Japanese collector). Christie's offered 'Saule pleureur et bassin aux nymphéas' (199x180 cm), which opened at £28 million but remained unsold at £36 million. Overall, the market showed caution: Sotheby's sold 87.7 million pounds across 45 lots (two withdrawn), with 46% of works fresh to auction and two-thirds not seen at auction for over 20 years. Christie's marathon auction of 85 lots across three sessions (Hidden Treasures, Impressionist/Modern, and The Art of Surreal) achieved £165.7 million. Notable sales included Cézanne at £21.2 million, a record Signac at £19.5 million (for charity), a record Caillebotte at £16.6 million (for charity), and Magritte's 'Le lieu commun' at £18.3 million. However, the Hidden Treasures session disappointed with many unsold lots including Monet's 'Iris' at £3.2 million and van Gogh's 'Portrait de femme' at £5.8 million. The Art of Surreal session performed well with only three unsold lots out of 34.