From the site of the Sotheby’s auction house
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At auction at Sotheby’s New York, the masterpiece is expected to reach a figure of around 50 million dollars
More than 100 years after the first and only visit of the French painter Claude Monetin Venice, during which the master of Impressionism created an extraordinary series of 37 paintings that captured the inimitable views of the citythe masterpiece “The Grand Canal and Santa Maria della Salute” returns to the lagoon on Wednesday 20 April for a special exhibition at Gritti Palace on the eve of the inauguration of the 59th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, before appearing at auction as the main lot of Sotheby’s ‘Modern Evening Auction’ in New York on May 17 with a starting estimate of $ 50 million .
Executed in 1908, “Le Grand Canal” is a glittering and luminescent view of the Grand Canal and of the church of Saint Mary of Health and it is one of the most beautiful works ever created by the artist, and the culmination of the series painted during Monet’s stay in Venice. “Le Grand Canal” will be exhibited in the historic Palazzo Gritti from where the view is almost exactly like the one depicted in the painting. The special exhibition will be the focus of the activities of Sotheby’s a Venezia during the opening of the Biennale Artewhich will include a highly curated series of events and the painting will also be admired by a group of select guests at a splendid dinner at Palazzo Gritti, co-hosted by Charles Stewart, CEO of Sotheby’s, Brooke Lampley and Olivia Walton, newly appointed president of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
Monet The Doge’s Palace seen from S. Giorgio Maggiore
“Le Grand Canal” will be the star of Sotheby’s “May Modern Evening Sale” in New York where the masterpiece is expected to reach a figure of around 50 million dollars. The offering follows a series of Monet’s masterpieces that have been sold in consecutive New York sales at Sotheby’s for more than $ 50 million in recent years: the staggering $ 50.8 million achieved last November for “Corner of Monet’s Waterlily Pond” of 1918 and “Water Lily Pond” sold for $ 70.4 million in May 2021.
Helena Newman, president of Sotheby’s Europe and global head of impressionist and modern art at the auction house, said: “Monet’s acclaimed series of paintings are among the most instantly recognizable and desirable in the world. Among them, his views of Venice are perhaps the most fascinating, channeling the magic of the city onto the canvas.exceptionally rare work at auction follows the great achievements of modern masterpieces in our global halls over the past twelve months and represents a wonderful opportunity for collectors seeking the best of the best. “
Julian Dawes, head of modern art at Sotheby’s America, added: “Few artists have captured the popular imagination as strongly as Claude Monet, whose works continue to inspire awe for their beauty and perspective experimentation. eternal city of water in sublime light and iridescent pigments, Monet anticipated the lyrical abstractions and bold coloring that would define artistic advancement in the second half of the twentieth century. His bold brushwork and his palette they allude to the later genius of artists such as Rothko, Mitchell, Richter and Thiebaud, among the many inheritors of Monet’s unparalleled legacy. “
Many of the canvases executed by Monet during his three-month trip to Venice in 1908 are found in important collections of international museums, such as the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Fine Art Museums in San Francisco, and the series of works is among the most sought after and acclaimed by the artist. “Le Grand Canal” is without a doubt the most beautiful of a discreet group of six canvases painted from the steps of Palazzo Barbaro looking across and down the Grand Canal towards Santa Maria della Salute.
Monet and his wife Alice traveled to Venice in the fall of 1908 at the invitation of Mary Young Hunter, a wealthy American who had been introduced to the French couple by John Singer Sargent. Welcomed by a circle of affluent Americans in Venice, Monet spent his time at the Palazzo Barbaro and the Grand Hotel Britannia, both on the Grand Canal, capturing some of the most iconic images of his career. Monet’s depiction of the domes of Santa Maria della Salute over the Grand Canal, seen from the steps of Palazzo Barbaro, marks a striking juxtaposition between the detailed representations of Venice by the old masters and the even more sumptuous and picturesque 18th-century views of the famous lagoon city . Monet’s series introduces a fresh approach that subtly captures the ever-changing splendor of light on the city’s ancient buildings and the water that surrounds them.