“Cliffside at Pourville,” Claude Monet, circa 1882, oil on canvas, 59 x 100 cm, estimated at between 11 and 15 million euros. (Photo: © Christie’s Images Limited 2026)
Few artists captured the fleeting effects of light quite like Claude Monet. Now, nearly 100 years after the famed painter’s death in Giverny in 1926, his painting Bord des falaises à Pourville (or Cliffside at Pourville), is heading to auction at Christie’s. The celebrated work, which Monet painted in the seaside town of Pourville in Normandy, France, is expected to sell for €11 million to €15 million ($12.67 million to $17.27 million).
The landscape painting, which depicts the cliffs of Normandy in sweeping pastel hues, comes from the collection of the Durand-Ruel family. Paul Durand-Ruel was a renowned art dealer whose support of the Impressionists helped transform the movement into a commercial success. Titled Durand-Ruel, Generations of Vision, the sale will feature 62 paintings from the family’s collection, including works by Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, Gustave Loiseau, Henry Moret, and Pablo Picasso. Coinciding with Art Basel Paris, the auction also serves as a fitting tribute during the centenary of Monet’s death.
In Bord des falaises à Pourville, Monet renders the Normandy coastline with loose, layered brushstrokes that dissolve the boundaries between sea, sky, and land. Soft blues and pale pinks drift across the horizon, while the lush greens of the cliffs anchor the composition, demonstrating the artist’s enduring fascination with changing light and atmosphere. Although painted with expressive brushwork, the composition faithfully captures the distinctive cliffs of Pourville, reflecting Monet’s careful observation of the landscape during his time along the Normandy coast.
Durand-Ruel’s influence on the art market of the late-19th and early-20th centuries is difficult to overstate. He championed Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Sisley, and other artists at a time when their work found little support from critics or collectors. In doing so, he helped establish the market for Impressionism. As Christie’s notes in the sale catalogue, the family continued that commitment across five generations, assembling a collection that reflects both their discerning eye and their lasting role in shaping art history.
Nearly a century after Monet’s death, Bord des falaises à Pourville remains a testament to the Impressionist master’s ability to transform an everyday coastal scene into a luminous study of light and color. Its appearance at auction not only celebrates one of his beloved landscapes but also honors the legacy of the family whose unwavering support helped Impressionism flourish.
The collection will be exhibited at Christie’s Paris from October 16 through 21 ahead of the live auction on October 22.
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Source: Claude Monet à Pourville
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