Water Lilies and Wild Cards as Surrealism Steals the Auction Spotlight

A Monet water lily painting quietly sparked a 17-minute bidding frenzy at Sotheby’s, finally landing at $65.5 million and leading a night that blended Impressionist calm with Surrealist surprise. The evening’s $309 million total was split between the Sydell Miller Collection—where every single artwork found a buyer—and a modern art auction that saw several records tumble. Monet’s Nymphéas, painted in his later years, continues to be a magnet for collectors, reaffirming the global fascination with his watery gardens. But the spotlight didn’t stop at Impressionism: women Surrealists made headlines, with Leonora Carrington’s La Grande Dame setting a new sculpture record and Remedios Varo’s Los Caminos tortuosos breaking ground for works on paper. Even pieces that once sold for modest sums, like Leonor Fini’s Les stylistes, soared to new heights. In a night of high stakes and higher surprises, the auction world proved that art history is still being rewritten—one paddle raise at a time. #ArtAuctions #Monet #Surrealism #Culture