by Laura Chesters & Alex Capon
Sotheby’s auctioneer Helena Newman sells Nymphéas, a 1908 painting by Claude Monet (1840-1926), in London last week. It was knocked down at £21m, top lot of the latest Impressionist & Modern art auction series, although the price was below the £25m-35m estimate.
Art market insiders are expecting a dramatic change in the dynamic at the top end of the sector if a remarkable $3.7bn bid to buy Sotheby’s completes this year.