HK · International contemporary art platformSotheby’s Paris has announced an auction of 28 artworks from the Schlumberger collection, scheduled for 22 October 2026. The centerpiece of the sale is Claude Monet’s painting ‘Iris’, which carries an estimate of €22–30 million. This is the highest estimate ever given for a painting at auction in France, and the total value of the sale is expected to exceed €40 million.
The Schlumberger collection was assembled beginning in the 1950s, with the involvement of Parisian dealer Katia Granoff. It features avant-garde works by artists such as Paul Cézanne, Pierre Bonnard, Gustave Moreau, Chaïm Soutine, and Georges Rouault.
Three paintings from the collection have been designated as “national treasures” by the French state. This status gives France a 30-month window to arrange a possible acquisition before the works can be sold internationally.
Coinciding with the auction, two exhibitions about Monet’s life and work will open in Paris at the end of September 2026: “Monet, Painting Time” and “Stories of Landscapes, from Monet to Hockney.”
The auction and related exhibitions offer a rare opportunity to engage with significant works from the Schlumberger collection and to explore Monet’s enduring influence on modern art.
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