Monet’s Iris Sets French Auction Record at €50 Million

Claude Monet’s late-career painting “Iris” sold for €50 million (about $56 million) at Sotheby’s in Paris, setting a record for the highest price paid for a work of art at auction in France. Estimated at €22 million to €30 million, the painting drew a prolonged bidding battle before being bought by an Asian collector bidding by phone. The work, which had never been exhibited publicly, was part of the Schlumberger Collection auction.