Monet Letters Sell for $1.7 Million

A collection of about 1,000 letters to French impressionist painter Claude Monet from his friends and admirers fetched more $1.7, more than double the estimated price at an auction Wednesday, Artcurial auction house told a reporter for Associated Press.

The letters, which date from 1874 until the artist's death in 1926, offer an intimate glimpse into a close circle of artists: Many are by Monet's fellow impressionist painters, including Edouard Manet, Paul Cezanne, Edgar Degas, Alfred Sisley and Mary Cassatt. Others were written by sculptor Pierre-Auguste Renoir and writer Guy de Maupassant. Much of the correspondence from Monet's fellow painters show their fascination and admiration for Monet's work. Monet was at the center of the impressionist circle. His painting, "Impression, Sunrise," gave the movement its name.

Monet carefully preserved the letters, and they became a family treasure, passed down through generations. The painter's great-grandson Michel Cornebois, Monet's sole direct descendent, placed them for auction with the auction house. Nearly 95 percent of the 332 lots in the auction were sold, Artcurial said.

An American bidder purchased 13 out of 15 lots of letters by American artist John Singer Sargent. Paris' impressionist museum, the Musee d'Orsay, bought the other two. Another American paid $19,560 for a letter by Rodin in which the sculptor mentions The Thinker, one of his most famous pieces. Besides the letters, the collection also included some notes in the handwriting of Monet and a few photos, including one of the painter by French photographer Nadar.

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