{"id":404310,"date":"2026-04-22T01:04:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T01:04:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/404310\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T01:04:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T01:04:28","slug":"a-monet-painting-unseen-for-a-century-just-sold-for-12m-at-auction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/404310\/","title":{"rendered":"A Monet Painting Unseen for a Century Just Sold for $12M at Auction"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThe last time this Claude <a href=\"https:\/\/robbreport.com\/tag\/monet\/\" id=\"auto-tag_monet\" data-tag=\"monet\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Monet<\/a> artwork was seen publicly, Mickey Mouse was making his film debut.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThe famed Impressionist \u2019s V\u00e9theuil, effet du matin had remained tucked away for nearly a century (98 years, to be exact) until it re-emerged as part of Sotheby\u2019s latest sale in Paris. The intrigue behind the painting, which was long held in a private collection, and, of course, the man behind it, helped the piece soar: It ended up hammered down for $12.1 million (10.2 million euros), making to the most expensive Monet ever sold at <a href=\"https:\/\/robbreport.com\/tag\/auction\/\" id=\"auto-tag_auction\" data-tag=\"auction\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">auction<\/a> in France.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThe artist painted this piece back in 1901, when he\u2014for a short period\u2014moved away from his beloved Giverny (of Water Lilies fame, among others) in northern France and settled into a small hamlet on the Seine called Lavacourt. Across the great river lie the town of V\u00e9theuil, and from his balcony Monet crafted a series of painting depicting the village beyond. One of which, of course, was V\u00e9theuil, effet du matin, which shows the church of Notre-Dame de V\u00e9theuil towering above its neighboring buildings, with the Seine at its feet. The work shows off Monet\u2019s mastery in capturing light and an environment in constant flux, like the river and its surroundings. As such, it blew past its top estimate of 8 million euros after a 10-minute bidding battle.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/robbreport.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-robbreport-2017-v2\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/claude-monet-les-iles-de-port-villez.jpg\" alt=\"Claude Monet 'Les \u00celes de Port-Villez'\" data-lazy- data-lazy- height=\"576\" width=\"1024\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tMonet\u2019s Les \u00celes de Port-Villez.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDamien Perronnet<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tAnd the record holder wasn\u2019t the only Monet up for grabs. After a skirmish with five bidders, Les \u00celes de Port-Villez ended up hammering down for a cool $7.6 million (6.5 million euros), far above its top estimate of 5 million euros. And with good reason: This piece hasn\u2019t been seen by the public for 115 years, and the sale marks the first time it has been shown in full color since it was made (previously, only black-and-white images of it existed). The work also marks an important time in Monet\u2019s life, painted mere weeks after he settled in Giverny in 1883, a critical location whose landscapes would go on to inspire many a famed creation by the artist. The painting itself is full of the swirling blues and greens of the wooded islets of Port-Villez, which Monet captured by fully ingraining himself in the environment via a specially designed boat studio.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/robbreport.com\/listing\/111-w-57th-st-new-york-ny-10019-3\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/FBF6FE63-36D9-4742-9925-1EF1D02D80D4.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-medium-landscape size-medium-landscape wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\"  \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFeatured Listing\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t111 W 57th St, New York, NY 10019\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNew York, NY\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t$98,000,000 USD\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/robbreport.com\/listing\/paris-ile-de-france-75002-france-2\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2074F1DE-98F0-4DCD-888D-778AE6830740.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-medium-landscape size-medium-landscape wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\"  \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFeatured Listing\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tParis, \u00cele-de-France 75002, France\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tParis, France\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t$21,201,400 USD | 18,000,000 EUR\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/robbreport.com\/listing\/161-stillwater-rd-aspen-co-81611\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/7F3088B9-C251-4A3E-94D2-20266445D985.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-medium-landscape size-medium-landscape wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\"  \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFeatured Listing\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t161 Stillwater Rd, Aspen, CO 81611\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAspen, CO\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t$300,000,000 USD\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/robbreport.com\/listing\/4867-legacy-way-park-city-utah-84060\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/sxrpvpq14192267216.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium-landscape size-medium-landscape wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\"  \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFeatured Listing\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t4867 Legacy Way, Park City, Utah 84060\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPark City, UT\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t$22,000,000 USD\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/robbreport.com\/listing\/the-westerly-estate-crown-jewel-of-santa-ynez-valley\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"607\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/5306199.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium-landscape size-medium-landscape wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\"  \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFeatured Listing\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Westerly Estate: A Tuscan Villa in Paradise\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSanta Ynez, CA\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t$52,500,000 USD\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cIt was a rare privilege to offer for sale in Paris two significant paintings by Claude Monet, rediscovered a century after their last public appearance,\u201d Aur\u00e9lie Vandevoorde, co-head of modern and contemporary art, Sotheby\u2019s Paris, said in a press statement. \u201cThe intense bidding from across the globe powerfully underscores collectors\u2019 enduring enthusiasm for Impressionist masterpieces presented in the very place of their creation. One hundred years after his passing, Claude Monet continues to stand as one of the most universal and compelling artists in art history.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tOther pieces in Sotheby\u2019s Art Modern et Contemporain event included works from Marc Chagall\u2019s Circus series, the first from the lineup to ever pop up on the block, and a Gerhard Richter that sold for nearly four times its top estimate. In total, the event raked $41 million (35 million euros)\u2014bolstered, of course, by that pair of Monets.<\/p>\n<p>\tAuthors<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"pmc-article-author-bio__avatar-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Nicole_Hoey_Polilovi-2.jpg\" alt=\"Nicole Hoey\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\t\tNicole Hoey<\/p>\n<p class=\"pmc-article-author-bio__title\">Digital Editor<\/p>\n<p>Nicole Hoey is Robb Report&#8217;s digital editor. While studying at Boston University, she read, wrote and read some more as an English and journalism major. A class taught by a Boston Globe copy editor\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/robbreport.com\/author\/nicole-hoey\/\" class=\"pmc-article-author-bio__link text-uppercase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tRead More\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The last time this Claude Monet artwork was seen publicly, Mickey Mouse was making his film debut. The&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":404311,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[437,434,435,436,14057,438,146,85,46,150738,43,80774,191215],"class_list":{"0":"post-404310","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-artsdesign","12":"tag-auction","13":"tag-design","14":"tag-entertainment","15":"tag-il","16":"tag-israel","17":"tag-monet","18":"tag-news","19":"tag-sotheby","20":"tag-sothebys-auctions"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=404310"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404310\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/404311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=404310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=404310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=404310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}