Monet's Iris sold for €50m at Sotheby's Paris, a French auction record

Six bidders and 45 minutes

The 1924-1925 canvas had a €22m to €30m estimate and sold for about 67% above its €30m top estimate. The buyer was a private collector in Asia bidding by telephone through Jen Hua. Hypebeast identified Hua as Sotheby's deputy chairman; Finestresullarte described Hua as Sotheby's vice president for Asia.

The painting had not been shown in public since it was created, Finestresullarte reported. It passed from Monet to his son Michel, then through the dealer Katia Granoff into the Schlumberger collection. Jeanne Schlumberger assembled that collection over more than forty years, and Finestresullarte described her as the first private collector to recognize and support Monet's late work. Thomas Bompard, vice president of Sotheby's France and co-director of the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art, said Monet painted Iris late in life, "when his garden had become his universe."

"Six bidders, 45 minutes, 50 million euros, and a new all-time record for France," Bompard said.

Finestresullarte reported that the €50m price is the highest paid for a work of art at auction in France and that the Schlumberger collection totalled €74.4m ($83.7m), more than double its overall minimum estimate. Hypebeast reported that the collection sale was the highest-grossing fine art auction in the history of Sotheby's Paris.

A collection sale that cleared every lot

All lots in the Schlumberger sale sold, 74% exceeded their high estimates and the six-day public viewing drew more than 9,000 visitors, Finestresullarte reported. Four Monets from the same provenance were offered, all unseen in public since they were painted.

Saule pleureur ou L'Arbre de feu, the second-highest result, made €9.7m, within its €9m to €12m estimate. La Seine à Vernon, Arbres made €4.3m against a €1.2m to €1.8m estimate. La Maison à Travers les Roses took €2.5m within its €2m to €3m range.

Bonnard's La Cueillette des Prunes sold for €2.5m, more than three times its €800,000 high estimate and a French auction record for the artist, Hypebeast reported. Moreau's Rêve d'Orient made €1.4m, a record for a work on paper by the artist and the highest price for Moreau at a French auction, Finestresullarte reported. Claudel's La Valse opened the sale at €832,000, more than double its €400,000 minimum estimate.

Three early Cézannes were withdrawn before bidding after French national treasure designations. The city of Aix-en-Provence intends to acquire them for the Musée Granet, according to Finestresullarte.