May 14 (Reuters) – One of the few paintings in Claude Monet's acclaimed series "Haystacks", which still remains in private hands, was auctioned Tuesday at $ 110.7 million, setting a record for an impressionist work.
The oil on canvas, titled "Wheels" and completed in 1890, is the first piece of impressionist art to win more than $ 100 million at auction, said Sotheby's sales manager.
It also represents the highest amount ever paid at auction for a painting by Monet, founder of French Impressionism and grand master of outdoor landscapes, who died in 1926, aged 86.
"Wheels" was one of 25 paintings in a series depicting stacks of harvested wheat belonging to Monet's neighbor in Giverny, France.
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Claude Monet's paintings
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 03: A painting titled "Wheels" by Claude Monet (1840-1926) is on display at the unveiling of new public art galleries at Sotheby's on May 03, 2019 in New York . (Photo by John Lamparski / Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 03: A painting titled "Wheels" by Claude Monet (1840-1926) is on display at the unveiling of new public art galleries at Sotheby's on May 03, 2019 in New York . (Photo by John Lamparski / Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE – MARCH 19: A visitor looks at a painting entitled "Field of Poppies near Vetheuil" by the French artist Claude Monet during a press visit of the exhibition "The Emil Buhrle Collection "at" Musée Maillol "on March 19, 2019 in Paris, France. The Musée Maillol presents more than fifty works from the Emil Buhrle collection, which will be exhibited for the first time in France. This private collection, one of the most prestigious in the world, was assembled by Emil Georg Burhle, a Swiss industrialist of German origin, between 1936 and 1956, the year of his death. The exhibition will take place from March 20 to July 21, 2019. (Photo by Chesnot / Getty Images)
Paris, France – March 19: A visitor looks at a painting entitled "Field of Poppies near Vétheuil" (D) of the French artist Claude Monet during a press visit of the exhibition "La Emil Buhrle Collection "at" Musée Maillol "on March 19, 2019 in Paris, France. The Musée Maillol presents more than fifty works from the Emil Buhrle collection, which will be exhibited for the first time in France. This private collection, one of the most prestigious in the world, was assembled by Emil Georg Burhle, a Swiss industrialist of German origin, between 1936 and 1956, the year of his death. The exhibition will take place from March 20 to July 21, 2019. (Photo by Chesnot / Getty Images)
An employee of Christie poses with the painting entitled "Iris" by the French Impressionist Claude Monet, estimated at 4 – 6 million GBP (5.2 – 7.8 million USD) and "Trail in the woods" of the French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir (L), estimated between GBP 7.5 and 10.5 million (9.8 – 13.7 million USD), during a photocall at Christie's, in Central London, February 21, 2019, before the hidden treasures: masterpieces from an important private collection, impressionist sale and modern art. (Photo by Tolga Akmen / AFP) / RESTRICTED A USAGE EDITORIAL – MANDATORY STATEMENT OF THE ARTIST AT THE PUBLICATION – TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN CAPTION (Credit: READ TOLGA AKMEN / AFP / Getty Images)
Christie's employees (C) pose with the painting titled "Weeping Willow and Water Lily Pond". of the French Impressionist Claude Monet, sold for at least 40 million GBP (52 million USD), during a photocall organized in the auction house Christie's in central London on 21 February 2019, before the Hidden Treasures: Masterpieces of an important private collection. Sale of impressionist and modern art. (Photo by Tolga Akmen / AFP) / RESTRICTED A USAGE EDITORIAL – MANDATORY STATEMENT OF THE ARTIST AT THE PUBLICATION – TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN CAPTION (Credit: READ TOLGA AKMEN / AFP / Getty Images)
An employee of Christie's pose with the board "Iris" of Claude Monet, French Impressionist, estimated at 4 – 6 million GBP (5.2 – 7.8 million USD) during a photocall organized in Christie's auction room in central London on the 21st February 2019, before the Hidden Treasures: Chefs-d'oeuvre from a major private collection. Sale of impressionist and modern art. (Photo by Tolga Akmen / AFP) / RESTRICTED A USAGE EDITORIAL – MANDATORY STATEMENT OF THE ARTIST AT THE PUBLICATION – TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN CAPTION (Credit: READ TOLGA AKMEN / AFP / Getty Images)
Christie's employees pose with the painting titled "Weeping Willow and Water Lily Pond" by the French Impressionist Claude Monet, sold for at least 40 million GBP (52 million USD), at one time. Photocall organized in the Christie's auction room in central London on February 21, 2019, in front of the Hidden Treasures: Masterpieces from an important private collection. Sale of impressionist and modern art. (Photo by Tolga Akmen / AFP) / RESTRICTED A USAGE EDITORIAL – MANDATORY STATEMENT OF THE ARTIST AT THE PUBLICATION – TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN CAPTION (Credit: READ TOLGA AKMEN / AFP / Getty Images)
Claude Monet (1840-1926). French painter. The water-lilies, ca.1915. Wallraf-Richartz Museum. Cologne. Germany. (Photo: PHAS / UIG via Getty Images)
Japanese Bridge, Monet, Claude, 1913. (Photo by: Picturenow / UIG via Getty Images)
Tree in Cap d'Antibes, Monet, Claude, 1888. (Photo by: Picturenow / UIG via Getty Images)
House among the Palms, Monet, Claude, 1884. (Photo by: Picturenow / UIG via Getty Images)
Cliffs of Etretat, Monet, Claude, 1885. (Photo by: Picturenow / UIG via Getty Images)
Pont d'Argenteuil, Monet, Claude, 1873. (Photo by: Picturenow / UIG via Getty Images)
Cliffs of Belle-Ile, Monet, Claude, 1886. (Photo by: Picturenow / UIG via Getty Images)
Blue house and fence, Monet, Claude, 1871. (Photo by: Picturenow / UIG via Getty Images)
Public Gardens, Monet, Claude, 1867. (Photo by: Picturenow / UIG via Getty Images)
Country Houses, Monet, Claude, 1873. (Photo by: Picturenow / UIG via Getty Images)
The family begins lunch, Monet, Claude, 1868. (Photo by: Picturenow / UIG via Getty Images)
Emily Talbot, Assistant Curator, Norton Simon Museum, presents Claude Monet's "The Artist's Garden in Vetheuil" (1881) at the National Gallery of Art Conservation Laboratory in Washington, DC, May 17, 2018. – Two versions of The same Monet scene painting is gathered together, at the National Gallery of Art, for the first time since their inception more than a century ago. (Photo by Olivia HAMPTON / AFP) / RESTRICTED A USAGE EDITORIAL – MANDATORY STATEMENT OF THE ARTIST DURING THE PUBLICATION – TO SHOW THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN CAPTION (Credit: OLIVIA HAMPTON / AFP / Getty Images)
Ann Hoenigswald, Senior Curator of Paintings at the National Gallery of Art, reviews Claude Monet's "The Garden of the Artist at Vetheuil" (1881), unframed, with a version kept in the background by the Norton Simon Museum, at the National Gallery of Art. The Art Conservation Lab in Washington on May 17, 2018. – Two versions of Monet's paintings of a single scene are exhibited together, at the National Gallery of Art, for the first time since their inception there has more than a century. (Photo by Olivia HAMPTON / AFP) / RESTRICTED A USAGE EDITORIAL – MANDATORY STATEMENT OF THE ARTIST DURING THE PUBLICATION – TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN CAPTION (Credit: OLIVIA HAMPTON / AFP / Getty Images)
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The works are widely acclaimed to capture the play of light on his subject and for their influence on the Impressionist movement.
Most of the works in the series have long been exhibited in the world's greatest museums, from the Getty Center in Los Angeles to the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
"Wheels" is one of only four to have been auctioned this century.
Sotheby's stated that the painting was purchased directly by the wealthy Monet merchant in the 1890s by wealthy Chicago personalities. She remained in the family until she was auctioned in 1986 by current sellers for $ 2.53 million.
The auction house did not identify the table's buyer, who beat five other bidders at an eight-minute auction in New York. (Report by Lisa Richwine and Dan Whitcomb, edited by Clarence Fernandez)
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