The 8 Most Expensive Monet Paintings Ever Sold | TheRichest

Oscar-Claude Monet was a famous French painter in the 19th century. He developed the term "impressionism," and he was among the rare painters who became famous and rich till the end of his days. Even though he lived until 1926, his paintings cause furor at present times. Here's the list of the most expensive Monet paintings ever sold.

8 The Waterloo Bridge Overcast Weather, 1904

Bidding: the Christie’s, 2007Auction price: $35, 539, 140

Staying at the Savoy Hotel in London, next to the Waterloo Bridge, Monet painted forty-one versions of the bridge, and this painting is one of them. The delicate but vibrant pink and red colors show the early morning traffic. The vertical smoking chimneys in the back part of the painting counterbalance the horizontal bridge. Monet tried to illustrate the London atmosphere, using beautiful light effects, smoke, and mist. Overall, he had eight boxes of paintings and about eighty pieces of unfinished sketches of the bridge.

Probably, Monet wouldn't have thought that someday, in 2007, an unknown buyer would purchase his painting for such a big sum of money. Yet, what's being appreciated is the atmosphere and attitude the painting entails.

7 The Grand Canal, 1908

Bidding: the Sotheby’s, 2015.Auction price: $35,567,406

This is one of the most iconic paintings of Venice in the world. During his three-month vacation, Monet drew six paintings of the same place. It was Santa Maria della Salute from the steps of the Palazzo Barbaro. He worked with each of the six paintings with the same motif and at the same time every day to catch the differences in the lights deflected through the haze. So, even though he was spending two hours a day at the same place, and at the same time, the surrounding view of the Catholic Church was always different.

The painting was in the private collection of Hunt Henderson, a New Orleans sugar magnate, and an art collector until one of the private collectors bought it in 2015 during an art auction in New York.

6 The Water Lilies, 1904

Bidding: the Sotheby’s, 2007Auction price: $36,724,350

The Water Lilies series of paintings is what Monet is famous for. He painted about 250 oil paintings from 1840 to 1926. Living in Giverny, in Normandy, Monet owned a house with a Japanese garden, and that's what he was painting for the last 30 years of his life. This painting is so special because of no horizon and perfect, soothing colors. The Water Lilies masterpiece is said to pave the way for the abstract art of the 20th century.

This brilliant artwork was owned by Monet's son, saved in a private collection, and then sold in 2007 in London. The new owner is an Asian private collector, who, by the way, was on the phone while bidding on the painting. The Times writes that that night, 40 phone lines had been installed during the auction.

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5 The Houses of Parliament. Sunset, 1900-1901

Bidding: the Christie’s, 2015Auction price: $40,485,000

In the mornings Monet was painting Waterloo Bridge and in the evenings the Houses of Parliament. He made sixty-five paintings, and this one is unique because of the bright red color in the sky. Painting this artwork was challenging because of the constantly changing weather.

Today, fourteen artworks of this series are in museum collections and five are in private ones. The last known owner of the painting is a British millionaire, magnate, and the owner of several top brand clothes, Philip Green. In 2001, he bought the artwork for $14,000,000 and sold it in 2015 for twice as much.

4 The Railway Bridge At Argenteuil, 1873

Bidding: the Christie’s, 2008Auction price: $41, 480, 000

Despite the calmness of the painting, the art world perceived it differently. At that time, landscapes depicted unspoiled natural space which was the opposite of the city fuss. This painting combines nature with city life, by having the bridge which takes the whole focus of the viewer. That was something new, and even provocative in the art world. Now, the painting belongs to an anonymous telephone bidder, and it is considered one of the most expensive Monet paintings.

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3 Grainstack (Haystack), 1891

Bidding: the Christie’s, 2016Auction price: $81 447 500

This masterpiece belongs to another iconic set of paintings. Grainstack includes twenty-five canvas paintings, which Monet painted from 1890 to 1891. This set is special because he painted the same subject but in different settings: times of the day, in many types of weather, and across several seasons. Interestingly, the haystack was next to Monet's garden in Giverny, so he used to go there every day for half a year and paint. This painting belongs to an anonymous bidder, but other works are housed in different museums, like the Getty Center in LA, the Hill-Stead Museum in Connecticut, the Scottish National Gallery, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, etc.

2 Nymphéas en fleur (Water Lilies in Bloom), 1914-1917

Bidding: Christie's, 2018Auction price: $84 600 000

This painting is the most expensive among the set of the legendary Water Lilies paintings. It has a beautiful coloration that brings the painting liveliness and power. In 1956, the Rockefeller couple, Peggy and David, bought it from a dealer in Paris. The latest purchase happened in New York in 2018, and the bidder for the painting remains unknown.

1 Meules (Haystacks), 1890-1891

Bidding: Sotheby’s, 2019Auction price: $110 747 000 Million

One of the eight pieces left from the entire Haystacks series surpassed $100 million. It's a record for Monet's artworks and any Impressionist works as well. Its vibrant palette and dynamic composition make the landscape look harmonious and prosperous. Within eight minutes, six bidders fought to acquire this masterpiece and ended up buying it for the highest price ever.

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