1908
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Monet Pond by Monet London and Venice Sculpture by painters Matisse Wild West Cities Venice
See also : Monet Pond by Monet London and Venice Sculpture by painters Matisse Wild West Cities Venice
1908 Nymphéas by MONET
1
2015 SOLD for $ 34M by Sotheby's
Monet created his water garden in Giverny for his pleasure and for exercising his passion of gardening. The water lilies in various colors gradually occupy the surface of the pond. The artist has found his master : nature itself, quite simply.
Around 1904, these nymphéas became a favorite theme in Monet's art. Nothing escapes him in the daily cycle from the opening to the closing of the blossom, or in the reaction of the plant to light and to weather conditions. He still uses the process that was so successful to him in previous decades, by installing several easels and working from canvas to canvas depending on hour and weather.
From 1905 to 1908 the paint layer is progressively thinner paint layer with a longer brush strokes. From 1907 he positions also some paintings vertically.
His focus is also changing. Controlling the effects of the surface of water, he scatters the leaves. The horizon and the shore are pushed out of field, which facilitates the adoption of a square format. The perspective is replaced by the flexible figures formed by the flotilla of plants. The clear water reflects the tall trees. The main theme is not the pool but the color.
Unlike previous series, Monet is managing to bring this theme to a close. As he progresses, he removes the paintings that no longer suit him. It is probably for this reason that he is so reluctant to leave his garden for his long stay in Venice, from October 1908.
Back from Venice, he does not retrieve his obsession. Durand-Ruel can finally exhibit the Nymphéas, from May 6 to June 5, 1909. This set of 48 paintings offers the complete vision of the artist for this theme.
On November 5, 2015, Sotheby's sold for $ 34M an undated oil on canvas 100 x 81 cm, lot 22. Its focusing on the plants in subtle pastel tones is typical of the later 1908 Nymphéas.
Around 1904, these nymphéas became a favorite theme in Monet's art. Nothing escapes him in the daily cycle from the opening to the closing of the blossom, or in the reaction of the plant to light and to weather conditions. He still uses the process that was so successful to him in previous decades, by installing several easels and working from canvas to canvas depending on hour and weather.
From 1905 to 1908 the paint layer is progressively thinner paint layer with a longer brush strokes. From 1907 he positions also some paintings vertically.
His focus is also changing. Controlling the effects of the surface of water, he scatters the leaves. The horizon and the shore are pushed out of field, which facilitates the adoption of a square format. The perspective is replaced by the flexible figures formed by the flotilla of plants. The clear water reflects the tall trees. The main theme is not the pool but the color.
Unlike previous series, Monet is managing to bring this theme to a close. As he progresses, he removes the paintings that no longer suit him. It is probably for this reason that he is so reluctant to leave his garden for his long stay in Venice, from October 1908.
Back from Venice, he does not retrieve his obsession. Durand-Ruel can finally exhibit the Nymphéas, from May 6 to June 5, 1909. This set of 48 paintings offers the complete vision of the artist for this theme.
On November 5, 2015, Sotheby's sold for $ 34M an undated oil on canvas 100 x 81 cm, lot 22. Its focusing on the plants in subtle pastel tones is typical of the later 1908 Nymphéas.
A rare Blue Period Picasso + an iconic Monet Waterlilies have joined our November sales: http://t.co/yPy4smKRK7 pic.twitter.com/6xMA4XX30Y
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) October 9, 2015
2
2019 SOLD for £ 23.7M by Sotheby's
At the end of the 1908 series of Nymphéas, several works focus even more on the plants, with subtle pastel tones, reducing the contrast in the reflections. The undated oil on canvas 100 x 81 cm numbered 1735 by Wildenstein is in that trend. It was sold for $ 34M by Sotheby's in 2015.
On June 19, 2019, Sotheby's sold for £ 23.7M a similar example, oil on canvas 92 x 89 cm painted in 1908, number Wildenstein 1727, lot 10. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
On June 19, 2019, Sotheby's sold for £ 23.7M a similar example, oil on canvas 92 x 89 cm painted in 1908, number Wildenstein 1727, lot 10. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
A View of the Monet Market: Helena Newman https://t.co/jSpKCWCbGu pic.twitter.com/ZmgfgxnYkm
— Art Market Monitor (@artmarket) June 6, 2019
October to December 1908 MONET in Venice
Intro
Monet's long stay in Venice in the fall of 1908 was a continuous working session during which the artist realized 37 oil paintings divided into several themes. Upon his return to Paris, Bernheim-Jeune acquired 28 of these pieces that remained in the artist's studio for the finishing touches.
In 1912, everything is ready. The exhibition of the views of Venice by Monet at the Galerie Bernheim-Jeune enchants the most demanding visitors.
Monet is not the first artist to express the ethereal light of Venice. The contribution of his art compared to Turner's views is the fact that Monet, only interested in the atmosphere, removes any anecdotal animation. The gondola that slides in front of the Piazza serves only to underline a strong point of the composition.
In 1912, everything is ready. The exhibition of the views of Venice by Monet at the Galerie Bernheim-Jeune enchants the most demanding visitors.
Monet is not the first artist to express the ethereal light of Venice. The contribution of his art compared to Turner's views is the fact that Monet, only interested in the atmosphere, removes any anecdotal animation. The gondola that slides in front of the Piazza serves only to underline a strong point of the composition.
1
Palazzo Contarini
2013 SOLD for £ 19.7M by Sotheby's
In 1908, Monet does not enjoy traveling any more. He wants to devote as much as possible to the ever changing expression of his pool at Giverny. However, a wealthy American woman who was a friend of Sargent manages to invite him to Venice.
Monet was a painter of nature and water. He must completely soak in the atmosphere of a place for performing his art. The old palaces of Venice are a symbiosis of stone and water. After a week of reluctance, the artist is finally charmed and begins to work.
On June 19, 2013, Sotheby's sold for £ 19.7M a view of the Palazzo Contarini, lot 42. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia..
This palace is very close to the residence of his American hostess where Monet is housed at the beginning of his stay, and this oil on canvas 73 x 92 cm certainly expresses his first favorable impressions of Venice.
Monet is not a tourist. The palace is shown in front view and the horizon is reduced to almost nothing. The color shades of the old walls and of their reflections in the waters of the canal are sumptuous. The vibrant impressionist style offers a symphony of rare colors in a single density: amethyst, lilac, cobalt blue.
Monet was a painter of nature and water. He must completely soak in the atmosphere of a place for performing his art. The old palaces of Venice are a symbiosis of stone and water. After a week of reluctance, the artist is finally charmed and begins to work.
On June 19, 2013, Sotheby's sold for £ 19.7M a view of the Palazzo Contarini, lot 42. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia..
This palace is very close to the residence of his American hostess where Monet is housed at the beginning of his stay, and this oil on canvas 73 x 92 cm certainly expresses his first favorable impressions of Venice.
Monet is not a tourist. The palace is shown in front view and the horizon is reduced to almost nothing. The color shades of the old walls and of their reflections in the waters of the canal are sumptuous. The vibrant impressionist style offers a symphony of rare colors in a single density: amethyst, lilac, cobalt blue.
2
Palazzo Ducale
2019 SOLD for £ 27.5M by Sotheby's
A photo shows an elderly couple surrounded by the famous doves of the Piazza San Marco. Claude and Alice are resolutely unaware of the facade of the basilica behind them : Monet really did not come to Venice for tourism.
Monet arrives in Venice on October 1, 1908. He stays there for two and a half months, with his canvases, palettes and colors. The challenge is immense : all artists have loved Venice. The interpretation of the sun through the mist has already been made, by Turner in 1841. Monet will focus on the reflections of sky and stones in the lapping of the canals and of the lagoon.
The view of the Palazzo Contarini, sold for £ 19.7M by Sotheby's in 2013, painted at the beginning of his session, is interesting by its false awkwardness. The composition strictly divided into two equal areas for monument and canal, and without horizon, would repel a buyer of postcards. The attention is all the more stirred to the beauty of the textures and to the multicolored reflections.
Now sure of the quality of his art, Monet emboldens himself to compose topographical views of the greatest classicism. Two almost identical close views of the Palazzo Ducale confirm that the artist is more interested in the special atmosphere of Venice, which he calls the "enveloppe", than in the variations over the hours. These views were his first work in the morning, starting at 8 o'clock.
One of them, 81 x 99 cm, is kept at the Brooklyn Museum. The other one, 81 x 93 cm, was sold for £ 27.5M by Sotheby's on February 26, 2019, lot 6.
When Monet returns home, he sells to Bernheim-Jeune most of his views of Venice. He continues to finish them until their triumphal exhibition in 1912. After the exhibition he further modifies one of the views of the Ducal Palace, in search of the perfect rendering of his artistic conceptions.
The painting that goes on sale is probably the artwork that was improved in 1912 or 1913. The balance of shades is very successful, without a dominant color although the details of the palette are bright. The texture of the surface of the water is of a great regularity. The majestic palace appears blurry, as de-focused : it was not the major theme of the image.
Please watch the videos shared by Sotheby's.
Monet arrives in Venice on October 1, 1908. He stays there for two and a half months, with his canvases, palettes and colors. The challenge is immense : all artists have loved Venice. The interpretation of the sun through the mist has already been made, by Turner in 1841. Monet will focus on the reflections of sky and stones in the lapping of the canals and of the lagoon.
The view of the Palazzo Contarini, sold for £ 19.7M by Sotheby's in 2013, painted at the beginning of his session, is interesting by its false awkwardness. The composition strictly divided into two equal areas for monument and canal, and without horizon, would repel a buyer of postcards. The attention is all the more stirred to the beauty of the textures and to the multicolored reflections.
Now sure of the quality of his art, Monet emboldens himself to compose topographical views of the greatest classicism. Two almost identical close views of the Palazzo Ducale confirm that the artist is more interested in the special atmosphere of Venice, which he calls the "enveloppe", than in the variations over the hours. These views were his first work in the morning, starting at 8 o'clock.
One of them, 81 x 99 cm, is kept at the Brooklyn Museum. The other one, 81 x 93 cm, was sold for £ 27.5M by Sotheby's on February 26, 2019, lot 6.
When Monet returns home, he sells to Bernheim-Jeune most of his views of Venice. He continues to finish them until their triumphal exhibition in 1912. After the exhibition he further modifies one of the views of the Ducal Palace, in search of the perfect rendering of his artistic conceptions.
The painting that goes on sale is probably the artwork that was improved in 1912 or 1913. The balance of shades is very successful, without a dominant color although the details of the palette are bright. The texture of the surface of the water is of a great regularity. The majestic palace appears blurry, as de-focused : it was not the major theme of the image.
Please watch the videos shared by Sotheby's.
3
W1739 Grand Canal
2015 SOLD for £ 23.7M by Sotheby's
Claude Monet stays in Venice from October 1 to December 7, 1908. At first reluctant to interrupt his studies of nymphéas, he immerses himself into the atmosphere of the city.
Venice succeeded in seducing Monet. Before the end of the first month, he starts one of these series of paintings that are his passion and the culmination of his art, following the cathedrals of Rouen, the haystacks and, more recently, Waterloo bridge.
In his previous series, Monet interpreted the light in various times of the day. Venice is the most subtle of his themes because the artist appreciates that the city offers every day a different harmony. He executes six times in the same format the same view of the Grand Canal in the direction of Santa Maria della Salute.
The real theme of this series is the light of Venice sifted through the haze. The famous dome and an almost imperceptible gondola confirm that such an atmosphere can only occur in Venice. Monet managed the tour de force to bring a new style in the immeasurable iconography of the city of the Doges.
One of the six views, oil on canvas 73 x 92 cm, was sold for £ 23.7M by Sotheby's on February 3, 2015, lot 15. Please watch the video shared by the auction house :
Venice succeeded in seducing Monet. Before the end of the first month, he starts one of these series of paintings that are his passion and the culmination of his art, following the cathedrals of Rouen, the haystacks and, more recently, Waterloo bridge.
In his previous series, Monet interpreted the light in various times of the day. Venice is the most subtle of his themes because the artist appreciates that the city offers every day a different harmony. He executes six times in the same format the same view of the Grand Canal in the direction of Santa Maria della Salute.
The real theme of this series is the light of Venice sifted through the haze. The famous dome and an almost imperceptible gondola confirm that such an atmosphere can only occur in Venice. Monet managed the tour de force to bring a new style in the immeasurable iconography of the city of the Doges.
One of the six views, oil on canvas 73 x 92 cm, was sold for £ 23.7M by Sotheby's on February 3, 2015, lot 15. Please watch the video shared by the auction house :
4
W1740 Grand Canal
2022 SOLD for $ 57M by Sotheby's
The next Wildenstein number from the example above is a very similar view of the Grand Canal with Santa Maria della Salute in the opposite bank, in the same 73 x 92 cm format. It is taken from farther away from the first pole, and the lower step corner of the Palazzo Barbaro over the canal has been added.
These after lunch pictures ended at 3 o'clock Claude's working day. He would then relax until twilight in a gondola tour with Alice.
The weather is sunny. The difference between both pieces is the attempt by the artist to catch subtle changes in the mirage-like atmosphere and haze of the water scenery caught in another early afternoon.
The surface of the canal is iridescent of a wide range of reflected colors providing the effect of a splashing water. Far away gondolas have been added.
This oil on canvas was sold for $ 57M by Sotheby's on May 18, 2022, lot 8. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
These after lunch pictures ended at 3 o'clock Claude's working day. He would then relax until twilight in a gondola tour with Alice.
The weather is sunny. The difference between both pieces is the attempt by the artist to catch subtle changes in the mirage-like atmosphere and haze of the water scenery caught in another early afternoon.
The surface of the canal is iridescent of a wide range of reflected colors providing the effect of a splashing water. Far away gondolas have been added.
This oil on canvas was sold for $ 57M by Sotheby's on May 18, 2022, lot 8. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The Monet market has been raging. Now Sotheby's is pulling out a Venetian painting with a $50m asking price. They may be shooting too low: https://t.co/wmtcwaJhA4 pic.twitter.com/Hj59nApK2e
— LiveArt (@artmarket) March 25, 2022
5
Palazzo Ducale
2015 SOLD for $ 23M by Sotheby's
Cjaude Monet had not imagined the beauty of light on the Canal Grande, particularly admirable when a strong sun is piercing a thick salt mist. Arriving in Venice in early October 1908, he was first intimidated by that new challenge before executing his personal method of observation at different times of the day.
Monet also admires the monuments but he does not feel like a tourist. His view of the Palazzo Ducale taken from north through the Canal Grande is commonplace, with its classic far row of monuments. Yet it is one of the finest achievements from his Venetian stay.
From morning to twilight, Monet had observed all the color variations introduced by the play of the sunlight through the fog. His views of the Palazzo Ducale taken from San Giorgio Maggiore are topographically correct but the details are embedded in a beautiful diffused light that encompasses the monuments and their reflections. The foreground of a pontoon is similarly stripped of details to only serve for opening the perspective.
The monuments gilded by the sun are treated with an exact proportion and a great attention to detail with an impressionistic touch that hosts a great range of colors. The meeting of this palette with water brings an even greater variety in the beautiful and sweet shimmering of the reflections.
The surface of water becomes concrete, like on the lily pond but without the use of floating objects. In the distance, a single small gondola provides a contrast at a strong point of the composition.
This oil on canvas 57 x 92 cm was sold for $ 23M from a lower estimate of $ 15M by Sotheby's on May 5, 2015, lot 40. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Monet also admires the monuments but he does not feel like a tourist. His view of the Palazzo Ducale taken from north through the Canal Grande is commonplace, with its classic far row of monuments. Yet it is one of the finest achievements from his Venetian stay.
From morning to twilight, Monet had observed all the color variations introduced by the play of the sunlight through the fog. His views of the Palazzo Ducale taken from San Giorgio Maggiore are topographically correct but the details are embedded in a beautiful diffused light that encompasses the monuments and their reflections. The foreground of a pontoon is similarly stripped of details to only serve for opening the perspective.
The monuments gilded by the sun are treated with an exact proportion and a great attention to detail with an impressionistic touch that hosts a great range of colors. The meeting of this palette with water brings an even greater variety in the beautiful and sweet shimmering of the reflections.
The surface of water becomes concrete, like on the lily pond but without the use of floating objects. In the distance, a single small gondola provides a contrast at a strong point of the composition.
This oil on canvas 57 x 92 cm was sold for $ 23M from a lower estimate of $ 15M by Sotheby's on May 5, 2015, lot 40. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
#AuctionUpdate: Restituted to the family of Anthony Goldschmidt in 1960, Monet's ‘Le Palais Ducal’ brings $23.1m pic.twitter.com/eIsBL75QAj
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) May 6, 2015
6
Palazzo Ducale from San Giorgio Maggiore
2016 SOLD for £ 11.6M by Sotheby's
On February 3, 2016, Sotheby's sold for £ 11.6M another view from San Giorgio Maggiore, lot 23. This oil on canvas 65 x 100 cm is arguably the closest to the original style of the Impressionistes and had been included in the exhibition of 1912.
#AuctionUpdate La Serenissima: Claude #Monet’s dreamlike #Venice scene sells for £11.6 million pic.twitter.com/oVhf43L9uR
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) February 3, 2016
1908 Nu Allongé by Matisse
2018 SOLD for £ 15M by Phillips
Henri Matisse is one of the earliest artists to release the figurative arts from the realistic proportions of photography. He kneads the clay from 1899. His table sculptures allow him to watch the bold angles of view which will bring an expressive harmony to the disproportions. La Danse in 1909 is the spectacular culmination of this creative process. Matisse's clay nudes are to be compared to Meissonier's wax horses.
Matisse explores several paths in parallel including the pointillisme inspired by Signac and it is Fauvisme that raises its reputation in 1905. Soon afterward the first encounters of European artists with African tribal art convince him of the possibility to derogate from the forms of nature.
During his stays in Collioure Matisse frequently meets Maillol in Banyuls. Maillol endeavors to simplify the nude to achieve the purity in perfect proportions. They have complementary approaches that both release the nude from Rodin's muscular eroticism.
In 1907 in Collioure, Matisse designs Nu allongé I, 34 x 50 x 29 cm. The torsion of the body could evoke Rodin but the hypertrophied raised elbow announces a new style. This artwork will be nicknamed L'Aurore (dawn) by comparison of the robust attitude with the famous funerary marble by Michelangelo. In the same year his Nu bleu is a pictorial projection of the Nu allongé I. This painting will be often imitated by Picasso and inaugurates the lifelong competition between these two artists.
Matisse's priority is painting but he also makes bronzes, sparingly. During his lifetime only eleven bronzes of the Nu allongé I are cast, the last one being an artist's proof. They are distributed from 1908 to 1951 in no less than five different casts.
The first three bronzes were edited in Paris around 1908 by Bingen et Costenoble who were also working for Maillol. One of them was sold for £ 15M from a lower estimate of £ 5M by Phillips on March 8, 2018, lot 9. Two later copies had been sold : for $ 8.4M by Christie's on November 9, 1999 for one of the two 1912 bronzes and for $ 10.5M by Phillips, de Pury and Luxembourg on May 7, 2001 for one of the three 1930 bronzes.
Matisse explores several paths in parallel including the pointillisme inspired by Signac and it is Fauvisme that raises its reputation in 1905. Soon afterward the first encounters of European artists with African tribal art convince him of the possibility to derogate from the forms of nature.
During his stays in Collioure Matisse frequently meets Maillol in Banyuls. Maillol endeavors to simplify the nude to achieve the purity in perfect proportions. They have complementary approaches that both release the nude from Rodin's muscular eroticism.
In 1907 in Collioure, Matisse designs Nu allongé I, 34 x 50 x 29 cm. The torsion of the body could evoke Rodin but the hypertrophied raised elbow announces a new style. This artwork will be nicknamed L'Aurore (dawn) by comparison of the robust attitude with the famous funerary marble by Michelangelo. In the same year his Nu bleu is a pictorial projection of the Nu allongé I. This painting will be often imitated by Picasso and inaugurates the lifelong competition between these two artists.
Matisse's priority is painting but he also makes bronzes, sparingly. During his lifetime only eleven bronzes of the Nu allongé I are cast, the last one being an artist's proof. They are distributed from 1908 to 1951 in no less than five different casts.
The first three bronzes were edited in Paris around 1908 by Bingen et Costenoble who were also working for Maillol. One of them was sold for £ 15M from a lower estimate of £ 5M by Phillips on March 8, 2018, lot 9. Two later copies had been sold : for $ 8.4M by Christie's on November 9, 1999 for one of the two 1912 bronzes and for $ 10.5M by Phillips, de Pury and Luxembourg on May 7, 2001 for one of the three 1930 bronzes.
1908 Cashmere by John Singer Sargent
1996 December 5 SOLD for $ 10.1M by Sotheby's
to be narrated later
1908 Starnberger See by Kandinsky
2006 SOLD for $ 9.1M by Sotheby's
to be narrated later
1908 The Kiss by Brancusi
2004 SOLD for $ 9M by Sotheby's
In 1907 the domination of classicism and of the Louvre over the arts faced the influence of the exotic and archaic cultures. Picasso finishes Les Demoiselles d'Avignon without however daring to exhibit it, and Matisse paints the Blue Nude influenced by Biskra.
Brancusi is 31 years old. He enters Rodin's studio, which he leaves after one month saying : "Il ne pousse rien à l'ombre des grands arbres" (It does not grow anything in the shade of large trees). He is preparing Le Baiser, which is a complete antithesis to Rodin.
In opposition with the plaster that the sculptors transferred in marble and bronze, Brancusi opts for the direct carving of stone. The rough surface is opposed to the classic polishing which aimed to evoke the velvety texture of the skin. The simplified geometry of the forms replaces the realism of the bodies. In the same year, Derain takes a similar approach with his Crouching Figure carved from a block of limestone, but he would not persevere.
The Kiss is Brancusi's first work to give a major role to the raw material. It was preceded by the Polynesian sculptures of Gauguin, but it anticipates the dazzling intuition of Malevich for whom a painted work is nothing more than pigments applied to a canvas.
The simplification of The Kiss is a great achievement. The cube evokes the original block of stone. The two characters face to face are little differentiated but no one doubts viewing the embrace of a man and a woman. The heads are so close to each other that the viewer reconstructs in the conjunction of their profiles a complete face with a Cyclopean eye, anticipating the dual perspectives of Cubist painting.
During his long career, Brancusi made about 40 variations of the Kiss. One of the very first, 32.4 cm high, carved in limestone circa 1908, was sold for $ 9M by Sotheby's on November 4, 2004, lot 8.
Brancusi is 31 years old. He enters Rodin's studio, which he leaves after one month saying : "Il ne pousse rien à l'ombre des grands arbres" (It does not grow anything in the shade of large trees). He is preparing Le Baiser, which is a complete antithesis to Rodin.
In opposition with the plaster that the sculptors transferred in marble and bronze, Brancusi opts for the direct carving of stone. The rough surface is opposed to the classic polishing which aimed to evoke the velvety texture of the skin. The simplified geometry of the forms replaces the realism of the bodies. In the same year, Derain takes a similar approach with his Crouching Figure carved from a block of limestone, but he would not persevere.
The Kiss is Brancusi's first work to give a major role to the raw material. It was preceded by the Polynesian sculptures of Gauguin, but it anticipates the dazzling intuition of Malevich for whom a painted work is nothing more than pigments applied to a canvas.
The simplification of The Kiss is a great achievement. The cube evokes the original block of stone. The two characters face to face are little differentiated but no one doubts viewing the embrace of a man and a woman. The heads are so close to each other that the viewer reconstructs in the conjunction of their profiles a complete face with a Cyclopean eye, anticipating the dual perspectives of Cubist painting.
During his long career, Brancusi made about 40 variations of the Kiss. One of the very first, 32.4 cm high, carved in limestone circa 1908, was sold for $ 9M by Sotheby's on November 4, 2004, lot 8.
