New York auction of the David Rockefeller collection sets new Monet, Matisse records

The sale of the art collection amassed by the late banker David Rockefeller kicked off Tuesday, setting new auction records for French artists Claude Monet and Henri Matisse, Christie’s said. Monet’s “Nympheas en fleur,” part of the impressionist’s famed water-lily series inspired by his Giverny home, fetched $84.69 million at the evening sale in New York, the auction house said. The previous record for the Frenchman had been $81.4 million, set by Christie’s in 2016 for “Meule” from Monet’s famous grainstack series. Tuesday’s sale also set a new auction record for Henri Matisse, with his 1923 “Odalisque couchee aux magnolias” selling for $80.75 million, Christie’s said. The previous Matisse record was $49 million. But the top lot of the night was Picasso’s 1905 masterpiece “Fillette a la corbeille fleurie” (“Young Girl With a Flower Basket”) which sold for $115 million, over its pre-sale value of $100 million.