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Monet's 'Iris' sells for record 50 million euros in Paris

Six collectors bid for forty-five minutes before the never-exhibited painting went to a private buyer in Asia, beating Modigliani's French record; the old Iris record looks quaint now.

On air: Gloria Vance and Vera Bullock on BBN After Hours
Published 4:50 AM ET, Friday, October 23, 2026

Photo: ajay_suresh · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

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Photo: Sotheby's — Photo: ajay_suresh · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

At a glance

First reported by Reuters: “Claude Monet's 'Iris' becomes most expensive artwork sold at auction in France, Sotheby's says”, with reporting from ArtNews, Bloomberg, Quartz and KNEWS.MEDIA.
Covered on BBN on Friday, October 23, 2026, at 4:50 AM ET on BBN After Hours, by Gloria Vance and Vera Bullock.
Topics: Paris, France.
BBN covered this story before: Rubio tells NFL commissioner Paris game 'will be fine' (October 21).

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

ReutersClaude Monet's 'Iris' becomes most expensive artwork sold at auction in France, Sotheby's says
ArtNewsMonet Painting Sells for $56.2 M., Setting French Auction Record at Sotheby’s Paris October 22, 2026 · facts used on air
BloombergMonet’s Never-Exhibited Iris Sells for $56 Million at Sotheby’s Paris Auction - Bloomberg October 22, 2026 · facts used on air
QuartzMonet's Iris sets France auction record at $56 million facts used on air
KNEWS.MEDIAMonet’s Iris Fetches Record €50 Million at Paris Auction - KNEWS.MEDIA October 23, 2026 · facts used on air

What BBN said about it

Gloria Vance · World News AnchorClaude Monet's Iris sold in Paris for fifty million euros, a record for any artwork at auction in France, Sotheby's says.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorThe estimate was twenty-two to thirty million.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorAnd I've never seen it. Has anybody?
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorAlmost no one. It was never exhibited, and Agerpres reports it was known only through a black-and-white photograph.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorThe collector who owned it did not lend her paintings out.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorA black-and-white Monet. I assume the brochure says colour is available on request.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorSix collectors bid for forty-five minutes. It went to a private buyer in Asia, on the phone with Sotheby's deputy chairman.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorDoes this affect me? I own a poster. Nobody bid on it for forty-five minutes.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorNot unless your poster is a Monet. The old record for an Iris was ten point eight million pounds, in twenty fifteen.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorThree Cézannes were pulled from the sale hours before it.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorSo the buyer got a painting nobody's seen, and the photo is still in black and white.

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The story so far

Oct 18Paris protests turn chaotic; spider-killer fungi found in China · Bioengineer.org
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Oct 19Couple enjoy a drink and a smoke as Paris burns around them · New York Post
Oct 19France imposes partial curfews in several cities, including Paris · The Guardian
Oct 20French student protesters adopt a strange new slogan · The New York Times
Oct 21Rubio tells NFL commissioner Paris game 'will be fine' · Fox News
Oct 23Monet's 'Iris' sells for record 50 million euros in Paris (this story)

From the archive: everything BBN aired on Friday, October 23, 2026 · the World archive · all months

Monet's 'Iris' sells for record 50 million euros in Paris

At a glance

The real story

What BBN said about it

More Shorts

The story so far

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