On 26 November in Hong Kong, Christie’s will offer a dedicated sale of art and objects sourced directly from Claude Monet’s own collection at Giverny.

The Dear Monsieur Monet sale comprises work by the artist himself and his friends such as Paul Signac and Auguste Rodin, alongside Japanese prints that he collected, as well as other personal items such as his photographs and a pair of spectacles.

Monet's house in Giverny

Claude Monet settled in Giverny, France in 1883 and spent over 40 years there until his death in 1926. Giverny was his home, the birthplace of his creation and his private paradise. The artist was fascinated by the landscape at Giverny, where he spent a long while walking through the gardens, among the streams and poplars.

Trois arbres à Giverny (Peupliers). Estimate: HK$15,000,000 - 25,000,000 (US$1,928,676 - 3,214,460)

Trois arbres à Giverny (Peupliers), carrying an estimate of HK$15,000,000 - 25,000,000 (US$1,928,676 - 3,214,460), illustrates the artist’s unwavering dedication to painting en plein air. In the present work, the majesty of the trees is enhanced by the contrast between the verticality of the poplars and the horizontality of the meadow. The artist chose to focus more on the surface and the interplay of colors visible in their forms, rather than on the depth of the scene, to capture a sense of their visual dominance within the landscape.

The trees were intrinsically tied to the identity of his homeland, a common feature in the countryside, frequently used to demarcate property boundaries and often planted along riverbanks to prevent flooding. Furthermore, after the French Revolution in 1789, the poplars became associated with the ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity due to his the etymology of their name: deriving from the Latin word populous, meaning both people and popular, the poplar tree came to be seen as a symbol of the new republic, “l’arbre de la liberté”.

Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865)

Monet was equally fascinated by Japanese art, and acquired works by the great Japanese masters of ukiyo-e, woodblock prints and paintings, for his collection at the house. By the time of his death in 1926, he had accumulated 231 prints by a variety of different Japanese artists, such as Hiroshige, Hokusai and Utamaro.

La maison de Monet à Giverny. Estimate: HK$800,000 - 1,200,000 (US$102,863 - 154,294)

The artist’s stepdaughter, Blanche Hoschedé, was also influenced by the artist and became his model and pupil. La maison de Monet à Giverny was painted by Blanche Hoschedé to pay tribute to Monet’s final series.

Antibes, le fort depuis Juan-les-Pins. Estimate: HK$500,000 - 700,000 (US$ 64,289 - 90,005)

Paul Signac, a close friend to Monet, adopted a similar viewpoint to Monet when he created his own interpretation of the scenic location on the painting Antibes, le fort depuis Juan-les-Pins.

Claude Monet, Giverny, 1915. Estimate: HK$15,000 - 25,000 (US$ 1,929 - 3,214)

Claude Monet with his palette in front of his work ‘Les nymphéas’, 1920s. Estimate: HK$12,000 - 18,000 (US$1,543 - 2,314)

A Pair of Spectacles. Estimate: HK$8,000 - 12,000 (US$1,029 - 1,543)

Around 1914, Monet was diagnosed with cataracts. For many art historians, his impaired vision explains the increasingly abstract forms he produced in his late career, and the application of ever-thicker layers of paint on his canvases. The pair of spectacles offered in the sale is testimony to Monet’s perseverance that, although challenged by his failing eyesight, he continued his work.

 

Highlights from Dear Monsieur Monet

Claude Monet (1840-1926). Trois arbres à Giverny (Peupliers)

Lot no.: 129
Size: 73.1 x 92.4cm
Provenance:

• Estate of the artist.
• Michel Monet, Giverny (by descent from the above).
• Rolande Verneiges, France (gift from the above, 30 March 1963).
• By descent from the above to the present owner.

Estimate: HK$15,000,000 - 25,000,000 (US$1,928,676 - 3,214,460)

Blanche Hoschedé-Monet (1865-1947). La maison de Monet à Giverny.

Lot no.: 127
Size: 59.4 x 72.8cm
Provenance:

• Michel Monet, Giverny (gift from the artist).
• Rolande Verneiges, France (gift from the above).
• By descent from the above to the present owner.

Estimate: HK$800,000 - 1,200,000 (US$102,863 - 154,294)

Paul Signac (1863-1935). Antibes, le fort depuis Juan-les-Pins.

Lot no.: 124
Size: 41 x 29.2cm
Provenance:

• Claude Monet, Giverny.
• Michel Monet, Giverny (by descent from the above).
• Rolande Verneiges, France (gift from the above).
• By descent from the above to the present owner.

Estimate: HK$500,000 - 700,000 (US$ 64,289 - 90,005)

Sacha Guitry (1885 -1957). Claude Monet, Giverny, 1915.

Lot no.:153
Size: 10.3 x 7.6cm (image)｜11 x 8.5cm (sheet)
Provenance:

• Claude Monet, Giverny.
• Michel Monet, Giverny (by descent from the above).
• Rolande Verneiges, France (gift from the above).
• By descent from the above to the present owner.

Estimate: HK$15,000 - 25,000 (US$ 1,929 - 3,214)

Attributed to Henri Manuel (1874-1947). Claude Monet with his palette in front of his work ‘Les nymphéas’, 1920s.

Lot no.:147
Size: 16.5 x 23cm
Provenance:

• Claude Monet, Giverny.
• Michel Monet, Giverny (by descent from the above).
• Rolande Verneiges, France (gift from the above).
• By descent from the above to the present owner.

Estimate: HK$12,000 - 18,000 (US$1,543 - 2,314)

Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865)

Lot no.:136
Size: 49 x 22.5cm (left)｜49.3 x 23cm (right)
Provenance:

• Claude Monet, Giverny.
• Michel Monet, Giverny (by descent from the above).
• Rolande Verneiges, France (gift from the above).
• By descent from the above to the present owner.

Estimate: HK$12,000 - 18,000 (US$1,543 - 2,314)

Utagawa Yoshitora (act. 1850-80) and Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892)

Lot no.:134
Size: 35.2 x 72.3cm (upper)｜35.5 x 72.3cm (lower)
Provenance:

• Claude Monet, Giverny.
• Michel Monet, Giverny (by descent from the above).
• Rolande Verneiges, France (gift from the above).
• By descent from the above to the present owner.

Estimate: HK$12,000 - 18,000  (US$1,543 - 2,314)

A Pair of Spectacles.

Lot no.:154
Provenance:

• Claude Monet, Giverny.
• Michel Monet, Giverny (by descent from the above).
• Rolande Verneiges, France (gift from the above).
• By descent from the above to the present owner.

Estimate: HK$8,000 - 12,000 (US$1,029 - 1,543)

 

Auction details

Auction house: Christie’s Hong Kong
Sale: Dear Monsieur Monet
No. of lot: 54
Viewing:
2017/11/24｜10:30am - 8pm
2017/11/25｜10:30am - 6:30pm
2017/11/26｜10:30am - 5pm
Auction: 2017/11/26｜5pm