Rare Monet Works Resurface After A Century To Headline Sotheby’s Paris Auction

Two rare Claude Monet paintings unseen for nearly a century are resurfacing for Sotheby’s Paris auction on April 16, marking a timely return in the centenary year of the artist’s death. Les Îles de Port‑Villez (1883) and Vétheuil, Effet du Matin (1901) have remained in private family collections for decades, preserving their color, condition and historical significance. Estimated at a combined $19.5 million (€18 million), the works trace Monet’s evolution from early Giverny explorations to his later atmospheric studies of the Seine. Their reappearance offers a rare chance to witness French heritage long hidden from public view.