The Creative Inception of Monet’s Water Lilies Series to be Presented at Auction for the First Time Ever in 125 Years at Inaugural Evening Sale at The Henderson
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CLAUDE MONET (1840-1926)
Nymphéas
Stamped with signature ‘Claude Monet’ (Lugt 1819b; lower right);
Stamped with signature again ‘Claude Monet’ (Lugt 1819b; on the reverse)
oil on canvas
28 ⅞ x 39 ¾ in. (73.3 x 101 cm.)
Painted circa 1897-1899
Estimate: HK$200,000,000 – 280,000,000 / US$ 25,000,000 – 35,000,000
Hong Kong – Christie’s is honoured to present Claude Monet’s seminal Nymphéas. Created 125 years ago, it had remained in the Monet family for many years and is now being offered from a distinguished private collection. This masterpiece is making its first appearance at auction and is one of the highlights of the 20th/ 21st Century Inaugural Evening Sale at The Henderson on 26 September. It is one of the very first of Monet’s works to take as its subject, his beloved water-lily pond at his Giverny home. Notably, four other works from this pioneering Nymphéas series are owned by renowned museums worldwide today, including the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Kagoshima City Museum of Art, and the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna in Rome, underscoring the exceptional rarity and calibre of this painting. Standing at a remarkable 73.3 x 101cm, this celebrated work is offered with an estimate of HK$200,000,000 – 280,000,000 / US$ 25,000,000 – 35,000,000.
Cristian Albu, Deputy Chairman, Head of 20th/21st Century Art, Christie’s Asia Pacific, added: “We are proud to present the auction debut of this Nymphéas masterpiece by Claude Monet at Christie’s Inaugural Evening Sale at The Henderson. As one of the few remaining rare works from Monet’s pioneering first Water Lilies series that is still in a private collection, with the rest residing in museums across the world, this painting is a true singular treasure. Through our unparalleled global expertise, we are privileged to present this seminal painting to our discerning collectors in Asia, catering to the surging demands for iconic Western artworks of the highest calibre.”
Adrien Meyer, Global Head of Private Sales and Co-Chairman of Impressionist & Modern Art at Christie's, commented: “Claude Monet's Nymphéas are among the most influential images in modern art history. These Nymphéas reveal the pictorial innovations that would define his celebrated series. Presented for the first time at auction, it is no wonder that half of the paintings of this first series are already held in public institutions.”
This work and the seven other paintings from Monet’s first Nymphéas series vary in format, size, colour, and handling as Monet revelled in the myriad of pictorial potentials of this novel motif. Immersing the viewer in a shimmering aquatic world, Nymphéas is a sublime work from this pioneering series, marking Monet’s early explorations of the theme that would come to dominate his production in the twentieth century. This painting introduces one of the most important and radical aspects of Monet’s Nymphéas – the elimination of a horizon line. His tightly focused scene plunges the viewer into the centre of the pond, removing all other peripheral details to focus entirely on the constantly shifting relationships between water, atmosphere and light that transformed the pond’s surface with each passing moment. These pictorial qualities would become central to every phase of Monet’s Nymphéas series and served as key influences on subsequent generations of artists.
VAN GOGH MASTERPIECE WITH A ROYAL PEDIGREE
Vincent van Gogh, Les canots amarrés, 1887. Estimate: HK$230,000,000 – 380,000,000 / US$30,000,000 – 50,000,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2024.
Hong Kong – Christie’s is proud to present Vincent van Gogh’s Les canots amarrés, a cherished piece of The Royal Family of Bourbon-Two Sicilies collection for over 30 years. Estimated at a record-setting HK$230,000,000 – 380,000,000 / US$30,000,000 – 50,000,000, this work will be a highlight of Christie’s 20th/ 21st Century Inaugural Evening Sale at The Henderson on 26 September.
Painted during Van Gogh’s transformative two-year stay in Paris, Les canots amarrés is one of a formative series of landscape paintings that the artist created in the summer of 1887 at Asnières, a fashionable suburb situated on the Seine to the northwest of the capital. A centre for boating enthusiasts, Asnières was a picturesque retreat from the heat and noise of Paris during the summer and a popular destination for weekend day-trippers. It was here that the wealth of stylistic lessons Van Gogh had absorbed during his time in the city came into their own and he forged his distinctive painterly style.
Les canots amarrés forms part of a groundbreaking trio of triptychs that have been described as the “artistic pinnacle” of Van Gogh’s time in Asnières. Using the same horizontal format and similar canvas size for each painting, Van Gogh created a panoramic vision of life on this busy stretch of the Seine. The present work is believed to form part of the so-called “Bord de la Seine à Asnières” triptych, along with Ponts sur la Seine à Asnières (Emil Bührle Collection, Kunsthaus Zurich) and Restaurant de la Sirène, Asnières (The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford). Infused with a sense of bright summer light, Les canots amarrés and these closely related works see Van Gogh moving beyond formal concerns alone — specifically his interest in Impressionist and Pointillist colour and brushwork — to respond directly to nature itself, capturing a scene filled with a novel sense of freshness and luminosity that is entirely his own. This unique approach to the landscape would come to define Van Gogh’s art for the rest of his short but legendary career.
Unseen in public for more than three decades, the presentation of this masterpiece marks an extraordinary historic moment and celebrates not only Les canots amarrés’ artistic significance, but also The Royal Family of Bourbon-Two Sicilies honoured commitment to preserving and sharing their art collection with the public. The public exhibition and auction of this exceptional work, together with the previously announced Nymphéas by Claude Monet, will captivate collectors and art enthusiasts, further cementing Christie’s position as a global leader in bringing exceptional Western masterpieces to collectors in Asia.
Adrien Meyer, Global Head of Private Sales and Co-Chairman of Impressionist & Modern Art at Christie's, commented: “This inviting Van Gogh provides a fascinating window into a pivotal chapter in Van Gogh's artistic journey, launching a free and light Impressionist palette. Evident in this painting is his embrace of a vibrant colour scheme revealing an instinctive approach using expressive strokes, which would come to define his mythical style.”
Max Carter, Vice Chairman, 20th/21st Century Art at Christie’s Americas, continued: “In the final years of his brief life, Vincent achieved perfect artistic freedom from narrowly prescribed colours, techniques, and subjects. Here, in 1887, he revels in these dearly won freedoms as he loosens his brush, brightens his palette, and celebrates the subtle harmonies of an exquisite summer day.”
Jacky Ho, Deputy Head of Department, 20th/21st Century Art at Christie’s Asia Pacific, added: “A diverse range of artistic traditions inspired Van Gogh’s creative journey. Van Gogh’s approach was influenced by Impressionism and Pointillism, and his perspective was further widened by Ukiyo-e prints from Asia. In turn, his artistic language opened so many doors for the artists to come in the following century. Les canots amarrés is renowned for its striking colours and intricate brushwork, characteristic of Van Gogh’s distinct style, making it a standout piece in any collection. Presenting this pivotal Paris period masterpiece in Asia completes a full circle of historic art exchanges. This is a perfect gift from a titan of modern art to headline the landmark inaugural sale at Christie’s new headquarters.”
AUCTION DEBUT ZAO WOU-KI’S MASTERPIECE 05.06.80 – Triptyque
In the Same Family Collection for Close to 40 Years A Leading Headliner of Christie’s Inaugural Sales at New Asia Pacific Headquarters at The Henderson
ZAO WOU-KI (ZHAO WUJI, 1920-2013)
05.06.80 – Triptyque
oil on canvas (triptych)
each: 195 x 130 cm. (76 3/4 x 51 1/8 in.) (3)
overall: 195 x 390 cm. (76 3/4 x 153 1/2 in.)
Painted in 1980
Estimate: US$10,000,000 – 15,000,000 / HK$78,000,000 – 128,000,000
Hong Kong – Christie’s is honoured to announce Zao Wou-Ki’s rare and epic 05.06.80 – Triptyque as the first headlining masterpiece of the inaugural sales at its new Asia Pacific headquarters at The Henderson building in Hong Kong. In the same family collection for close 40 years, this historically significant work will have its auction debut in the 20th/21st Century Evening Sale on 26 September with an estimate of US$10,000,000 – 15,000,000 / HK$78,000,000 – 128,000,000. This September’s inaugural sales will showcase Christie’s unique curatorial offering in Hong Kong, shining the global spotlight on outstanding artistry and prestigious collections from the East, together with masterpieces from the West for collectors internationally – further highlights will be announced imminently.
Cristian Albu, Head of 20th/21st Century Art, Asia Pacific commented: “We are honoured to present this seminal triptych by Zao Wou-Ki this September at our new Asia Pacific headquarters and to offer such an important and rare acquisition opportunity for collectors. The 20th and 21st Century inaugural sales at The Henderson will epitomise a key aspect of our curatorial mission for the category in Hong Kong – to globally showcase both Eastern and Western artistry, and the dialogues between them, through exceptional masterpieces.”
Eric Chang, Chairman, 20th/21st Century Art, Asia Pacific commented: “It is a privilege for Christie’s to be entrusted with 05.06.80 – Triptyque – an arresting masterpiece by Zao Wou-Ki, the father of Chinese modern art and a visionary master who seamlessly melded Western influences with Chinese tradition. Representative of Zao’s renowned ‘Infinity Period’, this is a work of art historical importance with an illustrious institutional record that begins in Paris and tours the East – a testament to the artist’s international prestige. Its mesmerising composition offers a window into Zao’s unique perception of the world at a golden moment in his career and his life. This is a landmark sale that will resonate with collectors around the world.”
As one of only 12 triptychs created by Zao Wou-Ki in the 1980s, including the 10-meter triptych that remains the artist’s auction record to this day, 05.06.80 – Triptyque is a true market rarity and a masterpiece of global appeal – only four triptychs have ever appeared at auction. Painted in 1980, during the artist’s ‘Infinity Period’, the monumental work marks the pinnacle of Zao’s artistic career, a time when he reached unprecedented international acclaim. 05.06.80 – Triptyque exemplifies Zao’s tour de force in amalgamating the Western technique of capturing light and shadow with the Eastern philosophy of transforming elements of nature into the purest forms of energy. 05.06.80 – Triptyque presents a view from the inside looking out like the dynamic perspective found in Chinese traditional landscape painting (Shanshui) while simultaneously capturing the turbulent flow of time and space.
05.06.80 – Triptyque possesses a highly prestigious exhibition history that reflects Zao’s artistic journey and recognition both in the East and West. The artist created the triptych specially for his first major French solo exhibition at the Grand Palais, Paris in 1981 – a show that paid tribute at the highest institutional level to Zao’s 30-year artistic achievement in the West and unveiled a new chapter of enlivening the artist’s heritage in the East. The exhibition was subsequently toured to five museums in Japan, before its display at the Hong Kong Arts Centre in 1982, and then as part of a solo exhibition held at the National Art Museum of China in 1983—the first exhibition Zao had in his homeland since his departure in 1948. Later, the work was toured to the artist’s alma mater—the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. It has remained in private hands since the 1980s.
