A major portrait by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, "La femme aux lilas (Portrait de Nini Lopez)" (1876–77), will be sold at Christie's on May 18. The painting, which has been held privately by the Whitney Payson family for 97 years, is expected to fetch between $25 and $35 million.
The sale highlights the enduring market strength for top-tier Impressionist masterpieces and the dispersal of a significant American family collection. The painting's provenance, tracing back to its 1929 purchase by Joan Whitney Payson, adds to its allure, connecting it to a notable chapter of 20th-century collecting history.