Sotheby’s Simon Shaw discusses Claude Monet’s Fleurs dans un pot (Roses et brouillard) from 1878, one of the finest floral still lifes that Monet painted. Fleurs dans un pot embodies the Impressionist’s trademark style: the gestural strokes of the spray, the vivid pinks, reds and yellows of the roses, and the tremendously subtle tonal balance between the roses and the greens of the bouquet. This particular painting dates from a very important year in Monet’s life; he had just moved his family to Vétheuil, a commune in northwest of Paris, and was facing financial difficulties. Additionally, Monet’s beloved first wife, Camille Doncieux, was in the grips of an illness she would sadly succumb to the following year. In the painting, we see marks of Monet’s mental state; petals from the roses lie on the table, a nod to the brevity of nature’s beauty. Fleurs dans un pot (Roses et brouillard) is a highlight of Sotheby’s upcoming Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale this May in New York.

Past Auction

Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale

12 May 2021 | 8:30 PM EDT | New York