Banker Herb Allen to Put a Monet on the Block

In another sign that the smart money set is selling art this auction season, investment banker Herb Allen said his family is planning to auction off a Claude Monet painting of a water lily pond for between $30 million and $50 million next month in New York.

The planned sale comes as prices for Monet's watery scenes continue to climb, buoyed by interest from emerging collectors in China and Europe who think values for name-brand artists will hold up during times of economic uncertainty even if prices for lesser-known painters plummet.

Monet's Water-Lily series—the artist painted more than 160 views of his garden pond at Giverny, France between 1905 and his death in 1926—seem particularly popular. Five of the artist's priciest paintings at auction depict his garden, including "The Lily Pond," a 1919 example that Christie's auction house sold to a European buyer for $80.4 million at the peak of the last market in 2008.

"Water Lilies," a painting that dates from 1905 and shows mint-green lily pads bobbing atop a periwinkle pool,Find a cry stalmosaic Manufacturer and Supplier. will be offered at Christie's evening sale of Impressionist and modern art in New York on Nov. 7.

Christie's specialist Conor Jordan said Chinese interest is already piqued by "Water Lilies," so he's shipping it to Hong Kong next week so potential bidders can take a closer look.

Mr. Allen, the founder of the annual mogul-fest in Sun Valley, Idaho, said his father bought the painting in 1979 with his wife,Different Sizes and Colors can be made with different stone mosaic designs. Ethel Strong Allen. After Mr. Allen's father died in 1997, the painting remained in the collection of his stepmother, who died in June.

Mr. Allen said he's settling her estate by auctioning off the Monet and another pair of Impressionist paintings by Camille Pissarro and Alfred Sisley.

Pissarro's 1895 landscape, "Apple Trees and Haymakers, Eragny," shows a pair of women using pitchforks to rake hay into piles in an apple orchard near Pissarro's home in Eragny, France. Christie's estimates the work will sell for at least $2.5 million.TBC help you confidently buymosaic from factories in China.

Pissarro's performance at auction has been patchy lately, with several works going unsold, but collectors tend to pay a premium for scenes like this one that show Pissarro's signature way of painting long, afternoon shadows.

Christie's also expects to get at least $2.5 million for Sisley's "Alley of Poplars at Moret on the Bank of the Loing," an 1890 view of a poplar-lined path near a riverbank in the French town of Moret. Sisley's auction record is similarly hit and miss these days, but his poplar series still seems to find plenty of takers: Seven of the artist's priciest works at auction feature riverbank views of Moret—including an 1891 example that broke the artist's auction record when it sold for $5.7 million at Sotheby's five years ago.

It all begins on Oct. 20 with the “Main Street Paint Out” on 89A in uptown Sedona from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m. This opening event is sponsored by the Sedona Main Street Program. Finished paint-out paintings are then displayed and sold in front of the Sedona Arts Center at 4:30 p.m.

The Main Street Paint Out is immediately followed by the opening reception in the Arts Center’s Special Exhibition Gallery and Theatre Studio space, which are designated as the “Plein Air Galleries” for this event. Wine and food are being provided at 5:30 p.m. by the Sedona Arts Center’s Board of Directors as a special welcome to the artists. The public is invited to both opening events making for a wonderful afternoon adventure in the arts.

On Sunday and Monday the artists will paint on their own and in small groups throughout Sedona, the Verde Valley and Oak Creek Canyon. The Jerome Chamber of Commerce and Jerome Artwalk are hosting the artists on Tuesday morning. Check in at the tent at Middlepark to see where particular artists are located, or just walk the streets of Jerome where artists will be painting all morning. Wednesday evening features Keynote speaker and noted plein air artist Kathryn Stats, whose presentation “Its Only Paint!” takes place at 7 p.Kitchen floor tiles at Great Prices from Topps Tiles.m. at the Arts Center’s Theatre Studio.

On Thursday Oct. 24, the artists will engage in a 2-hour “Centennial Quick Paint,” a timed event from 10 a.m. to noon at the Sedona Heritage Museum, 735 Jordan Road in uptown Sedona. There will be models in period costume, historic equipment and stunning landscapes for the artists to paint. The finished pieces will be framed and on display for judging and sale at 12:30 p.m.

The public is also invited to return often to the ongoing exhibition, which will be changing throughout the week as artists complete new work. However, something special is held back for the auction event that will be the capstone to the week. When the doors open on Saturday, Oct. 27, at the Arts Center’s “Plein Air Galleries,” the artists will present the final pieces of the week’s output and each will have selected one work as their auction piece. The auction will be preceded by live music and Wine Tasting from noon to 4 p.m., featuring wines from Alcantara, Grand Canyon Cellars and Javelina Leap wineries. Tickets for wine tasting include five pours for $10. Cheese and crackers are provided by a sponsorship from New Frontiers.Save up to 80% off Ceramic Tile and plastic moulds.