Impressionists hit record art prices

There was no shortage of buyers to snap up impressionist and postimpressionist art works in London last week, with record prices being achieved. The auction, held at Christies, included paintings by Cezanne, Monet, Renoir and Degas and they were purchased by mainly wealthy individuals. The highlight was Nature morte aux fruits et pot de gingembre, which is considered one of the most important still-life works by Cezanne. It had been valued at between £9 million and £12 million sterling (€4.36 million) and eventually fetched £12.1 million at auction.

Other works which came under the hammer were Claude Monet's Paysage de printemps sold for £4.4 million and Le Pont Japonais, for £2.8 million. At the lower end of the price range Renoir's Jeune fille blonde fetched £773,750 and Danseuse attachant sa chaussure £698,750.