Unknown Monet Pastel is Found

Jonathan Green, a director of the Richard Green Gallery in London, found an unknown pastel by Claude Monet hidden behind another pastel, wrote The Guardian. The pastel depicts the lighthouse at Le Havre in Normandy, where the artist grew up. Green bought two pastels by Monet at one of the auctions in Paris and later was surprised to discover the third one taped under the mount. Experts confirmed the provenance of the pastel. It was a wedding gift to a granddaughter of the art dealer, Paul Durant-Ruel, who helped Monet to sell his works and to organize the first exhibitions.

“Pastels by him [Monet] are incredibly rare. These are a pointer to his future… You can see his fascination with light,” said Green.

All three images dated from 1868 and priced for £1.4m will be offered for sale at the Masterpiece 2015 Art Fair to be opened in London on June 25th.

(Photo of the cover by Philip Toscano/PA)