Never-Before-Exhibited Monet Paintings to Be Auctioned in Paris

Two paintings by Claude Monet that have never before been shown to the public will be auctioned in October by Sotheby's in Paris as part of the sale of a collection belonging to the wealthy French Schlumberger family, the auction house announced.

"Iris," a monumental canvas painted by Monet near the end of his life at his home in Giverny, carries an estimate of 22 million to 30 million euros (25.3 million to 34.5 million dollars).

It represents "the highest estimate ever attributed to a painting presented at auction in France," Sotheby's stated Thursday during the presentation of the sale at its Parisian headquarters.

In total, 28 works from this collection of the billionaire Schlumberger family will go under the hammer on October 22.

In addition to "Iris," three other canvases by Monet are part of the collection, including "Saule pleureur" ("Weeping Willow"), estimated between 9 million and 12 million euros (10.3 million and 13.8 million dollars).

"This collection is extraordinary because of its history and the quality of the works that compose it," said Thomas Bompard, co-director of the Modern and Contemporary Art department at Sotheby's France.

"Iris" is being presented to the public "for the first time" because it never left the Schlumberger family residence in Paris.

"Well preserved and unvarnished, 'Iris' and 'Saule pleureur' offer an exceptional glimpse into Monet's definitive artistic project," noted Marianne Mathieu, an art historian specializing in Impressionism.

The Schlumberger collection, which will be exhibited in Hong Kong and New York prior to its sale, also features three works by Paul Cézanne that form part of a mural composition, including "La ferme" ("The Farm"), estimated between 600,000 and 800,000 euros (691,000 and 921,000 dollars).