Claude Monet in America | The Collection of Anne H. Bass | Christie's Inc

How the US helped cement the reputation of one of the 20th century's most coveted artists - video narrated by Christine Baranski. The 12 works from The Collection of Anne H. Bass that will lead the 20th Century Evening Sale at Christie’s New York this May include three exquisite paintings by Claude Monet, spanning the full breadth of the artist’s mature oeuvre: 'Peupliers au bord de l’Epte,' from his bucolic paintings of the French countryside in the early 1890s; 'Le Parlement, soleil couchant', one of his rhapsodic views of foggy London from 1900-1903; and the 1907 'Nymphéas,' from his ethereal visions of his beloved water gardens at Giverny. The works, each of which were purchased by prominent American collectors early in their histories, not only highlight the artist’s work in series; they also underscore the significant role of Monet’s first American patrons, whose enthusiasm for his visionary Impressionist style ran in contrast to the skepticism of the French public and proved essential to the growth of the artist’s international reputation and ultimately his success. American collectors proved a perceptive and discerning audience, who quickly recognized the talent and ingenuity of an artist who was initially something of an outsider himself, subverting and reinventing the formal techniques of the European painting tradition. And in step with their patronage, over the course of a few decades, he went from an avant-garde curiosity to an established grand master. By the time the 1913 Armory Show in New York, Monet was largely considered a leading member of the artistic establishment by the public. Here, his work appeared alongside a new generation of experimental modernist works — cubist, futurist, expressionist — no doubt indebted to his own trailblazing path. Learn more: https://www.christies.com/features/cl...