During Paris Art Week, on October 22 and 23, Christie’s will present a sale dedicated to French art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel, who was instrumental in the careers of Impressionist artists such as Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
The sale will feature 62 pieces of work that have remained in his family trust, among them, paintings from Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Pablo Picasso, Eugène Boudin, and Alfred Sisley. It is estimated to bring in €30 million to €43 million ($35 million to $50 million), with the works expected to go on display at Christie’s Paris from October 16 through 22. On October 22, the collection will hit the auction block and the following day some works will be offered at Christie’s Modern Art sale.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s Jeunes filles au bord de la mer (1890-1894)
In 1924, Monet said that without “Durand, we would all have starved, we Impressionists. We owe him everything. He persisted, he fought relentlessly, and he risked bankruptcy twenty times over to support us. The critics dragged us through the mud, but for him it was even worse! People wrote: these artists are mad, but there is someone even madder than they are, a dealer who buys their work!”
Highlights from the sale are Monet’s Bord des falaises à Pourville (1882), estimated for €11 million to €15 million ($12.75 million to $17.4 million); Sisley’s La route du Coeur-Volant en hiver, Louveciennes (1872), estimated for €2.5 million to €3.5 million ($2.9 million to $4.06 million); Pissarro’s Le Louvre, soleil d’hiver, matin (1900) estimated for €2 million to €3 million ($2.32 million to $3.5 million); Pablo Picasso’s Nature morte au gruyère (1944) estimated for €2.5 million to €3.5 million ($2.9 million to $4.06 million); Monet’s Trois pots de tulipes (1855) estimated for €2.5 million to €3.5 million ($2.9 million to $4.06 million); and Renoir’s Jeunes filles au bord de la mer (1890-1894) estimated for €4 million to €6 million ($4.64 million to $6.95 million).
