Long-lost Renoir painting sells for $2M at Paris auction

A previously unknown Pierre-Auguste Renoir painting depicting his son Jean and nursemaid Gabrielle Renard sold for €1.8 million ($2 million) at Drouot auction house in Paris on November 25, marking the first time the work had been publicly seen in over a century.artsy

The intimate 1890-95 oil painting was gifted by Renoir to Jeanne Baudot, his only student and Jean’s godmother, and remained in her family for over 100 years, never exhibited or published before the sale.artsy

Auctioneer Christophe Joron-Derem called it “a fantastic discovery” and “a masterpiece of intimacy,” with the work fetching a hammer price of €1.45 million from an international buyer within its presale estimate.artnet

Long-Lost Renoir Painting Sells for $2 Million at Paris Auction

A previously unknown portrait by French Impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir depicting his young son and nanny emerged from a century of private ownership to fetch €1.8 million ($2 million) at a Paris auction on Tuesday, marking a notable sale amid signs of revival in the high-end art market.artsy

The intimate oil painting, titled “L’enfant et ses jouets – Gabrielle et le fils de l’artiste, Jean” (The Child and His Toys – Gabrielle and the artist’s son, Jean), sold for a hammer price of €1.45 million at Drouot auction house on November 25, within its presale estimate of €1-1.5 million. An international buyer acquired the work, which had never been exhibited, published, or sold before.artnet

A Hidden Masterpiece Revealed

Painted between 1890 and 1895, the work portrays Renoir’s son Jean playing with toys alongside his nursemaid Gabrielle Renard. Renoir gifted the painting to Jeanne Baudot, his only student and close friend who became Jean’s godmother in 1895. The work remained in Baudot’s family, eventually passing to her adopted son Jean Griot, who displayed it in his bedroom until his death in 2011.artsy

“It is a masterpiece of intimacy,” said auctioneer Christophe Joron-Derem. “We see this very tender relationship between Jean Renoir and Gabrielle, who knows how to control the child so that Renoir can paint him.”the-independent

Art historian Pascal Perrin praised the work’s “exceptional condition,” noting it has undergone no restoration and retained all its colors “perfectly”. “The last person to have touched it was probably Renoir himself,” Joron-Derem added.aawsat

Market Context and Legacy

The sale comes as the art market shows renewed momentum following recent record-breaking auctions. A Frida Kahlo self-portrait sold for $54.7 million on November 20, setting a record for works by female artists, while a Gustav Klimt portrait fetched $236.4 million on November 18, marking the highest price for modern art at auction.yahoo

Gabrielle Renard posed for nearly 200 of Renoir’s paintings during her three decades with the family. Jean Renoir, born in 1894, later became an acclaimed film director, receiving a Lifetime Achievement Academy Award in 1975 for films including “La Grande Illusion”. He died in 1979.aawsat

Similar versions of the composition reside at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris and the National Gallery of Art in Washington.artsy