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Renoir's $35M Portrait of Nini Lopez Heads to Christie's After Nearly a Century in Private Collection

market-auction · 2026-04-21

Christie's is set to auction La femme aux lilas (Portrait de Nini Lopez), a painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir created between 1876 and 1877, which has not been available at auction for nearly a hundred years. This artwork is estimated to fetch $35 million and is part of Lorinda Payson de Roulet's collection, originally obtained by her parents in 1929. The return of this piece is a noteworthy occurrence in the market for Impressionist art.

Key facts

  • Pierre-Auguste Renoir painted La femme aux lilas (Portrait de Nini Lopez) between 1876 and 1877.
  • The painting has not been seen at auction for almost a century.
  • It carries an estimate of $35 million.
  • Christie's will conduct the auction.
  • The work comes from the collection of Lorinda Payson de Roulet.
  • Lorinda Payson de Roulet's parents acquired the painting in 1929.
  • The painting is a portrait of Nini Lopez.
  • The painting is titled La femme aux lilas.

Entities

Artists

  • Pierre-Auguste Renoir
  • Nini Lopez

Institutions

  • Christie's
  • Whitney Museum of American Art

Locations

  • New York
  • United States

Sources