19th Century European Art Sale at Sotheby's

(image above: Gustave Courbet, Deux bateaux sur la plage. price range: 700.000/1.000.000 $)

New York, NY - Sotheby’s 9 May 2025 19th Century European Art sale offers a comprehensive view of the category, featuring both iconic, well-known works and new discoveries by the biggest names of the genre including Courbet, Bouguereau, Corot and Alma-Tadema.

Bonhomme venant de peindre sa barrière (Man Having Just Painted His Fence) by Jean-François Raffaëlli is one of the highlights. This extraordinary image is one of the masterpieces of Raffaëlli’s career and comes from an Important Private American Collection.

The exhibition of these masterpieces will be revealed at their New York headquarters, starting 2nd May 2014. The auction includes seven paintings by one of the most significant painters of the 19th Century, Gustave Courbet, creating a mini retrospective of his work.

Leading the Courbet selection is Deux bateaux sur la plage features a seascape of Étretat, painted during a prolific and busy time for the artist. 

Four works by Giovanni Boldini date from the early 1870s through the late 1880s, showcasing the richness of his work in multiple genres including landscape, portraiture, and works on paper.

Additional works by Boldini include a watercolor and gouache on paper, Girl Wearing a Red Shawl and Portrait of Harriet Valentine Crocker Alexander from the Collection of the Late Ambassador Charles S. Whitehouse, Marshall, Virginia.