How Much Is San Giorgio Maggiore by Twilight Worth?

Painted during Monet’s only trip to Venice (1908), San Giorgio Maggiore by Twilight sits within the apex of the artist’s late serial practice, when he pushed atmospheric effects to their most refined, meditative expression. The Venice campaign is widely regarded as one of Monet’s most coveted late bodies of work, on par—historically if not price-wise—with the great Nymphéas and London Parliament series. The Cardiff canvas represents a signature, instantly readable Venetian motif that encapsulates Monet’s mastery of color, light, and reflection at dusk. Within the artist’s oeuvre, this subject ranks as a museum-caliber highlight that both advances the Venice narrative and appeals to the broadest global collector base, underpinning a valuation above most non-Venice and non-lily late works.

San Giorgio Maggiore is one of the most iconic Venetian vistas Monet painted, alongside Le Grand Canal, Santa Maria della Salute, and Le Palais Ducal. Twilight views are particularly prized for their chromatic drama and serene balance of architecture and water. Recent market history shows Venice canvases leading Monet’s non-lily landscape pricing, with the 2022 Salute/Grand Canal achieving $56.6m, and earlier Venice views in the mid‑$30m range. This canvas’s recognizable motif and strong late color harmonies position it at the high end of Venice valuations. Against broader Monet benchmarks—$65.5–$74m for major late Nymphéas and the $75.96m Parliament sunset—the subject supports a $60–80m fair‑market range while remaining below lily and haystack peaks.

The painting’s purchase by Gwendoline Davies directly from Monet’s 1912 Bernheim‑Jeune Venice exhibition and its subsequent bequest to the Welsh national collection confer exemplary pedigree. The Davies sisters are among Britain’s most celebrated early 20th‑century collectors, and works from their holdings enjoy exceptional curatorial visibility and trust. Longstanding museum stewardship implies careful conservation and scholarly exposure, typically enhancing market confidence. While institutional status makes an actual sale unlikely, it also underscores the work’s cultural stature. In a hypothetical deaccession scenario with appropriate approvals, such provenance would be a powerful catalyst for global bidding, reinforcing the top end of the proposed range.

At approximately 65.2 x 92.4 cm, the work aligns with standard horizontal Venice formats that have performed best at auction. This scale balances wall power with placement flexibility, a practical plus for private collectors and institutions alike. As with all late Monets, valuation is sensitive to surface quality: preserved impasto, unabraded passages, and original color saturation can shift outcome by many millions. The present estimate assumes sound condition commensurate with museum stewardship; a strong, recent conservation and exhibition record would support the upper band, while material repaint, abrasion, or structural issues would compress the figure. A formal condition report would allow a tighter point estimate.

The top end of the Impressionist/Modern market has shown a selective, flight‑to‑quality pattern since 2023, with record‑level outcomes concentrated in A‑tier material. Late Monet remains among the most liquid blue‑chip segments, evidenced by multiple $65m–$75m lily and cityscape results in 2022–2024 and the Venice series record at $56.6m. While the broader category cycled down from 2022 peaks, 2025 indicators suggest stabilization. In a well‑timed evening sale with robust third‑party support and international outreach, competition for a marquee Venice would likely be deep. Conversely, a soft macro backdrop or compromised guarantee terms could bias results toward the lower half of the range.