"It's the Grail for a collector": a work by Monet auctioned in New York

It is an event on the art market.

On May 12, a famous painting by Claude Monet, the 

, will be auctioned in New York at Sotheby's.

The work is estimated at 40 million dollars, and is the "Grail for a collector", assures the auction house. 

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This

is one of the last paintings in the mythical series painted by Monet at the end of his life, in Giverny.

The large one meter by two meter canvas belongs to a private collector who bought it for $ 16 million in 2004.

"It brings together all the qualities"

Since then, it is the fourth "Water Lilies" of this quality to hit the art market.

And the canvas is highly sought after by collectors, confirms Thomas Bompard, expert in impressionist and modern art at Sotheby's.

"It is very beautiful. It combines all the qualities: the water lilies, that is to say the flowers themselves, have very bright colors", he explains.

"There are beautiful reds, mauves, pinks. We also see that the entire central part of the painting is taken up by the reflection of the sky, so there is almost all the possible palette."

"A painting that has not aged a single wrinkle"

“Collectors will also look for a light painting. The liveliness of the colors and the energy of the composition make it a painting that has not aged a single wrinkle,” he continues. 

And the masterpiece can also be of interest to contemporary art lovers.

Because these "Water Lilies" by Monet are the first abstract paintings.