How Much Is The Red Boats, Argenteuil Worth?

Conclusion: We estimate Claude Monet’s The Red Boats, Argenteuil (1875; oil on canvas, 61.8 × 82.5 cm; Wildenstein W369; Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum) at $25–45 million fair‑market value. This mid‑format, signature Argenteuil subject is a recognized image from Monet’s most coveted early Impressionist phase and has been widely exhibited since the 2nd Impressionist exhibition in 1876, conferring exceptional art‑historical stature and demand [1].

Methodology and comps: Our range is anchored by directly relevant and recent Monet benchmarks. Among closely related subjects, Le Pont du chemin de fer à Argenteuil (1873) achieved $41.5 million at Christie’s New York in 2008, demonstrating the market’s long‑standing premium for prime Argenteuil paintings with boats, bridges, and Seine reflections [4]. More broadly, best‑in‑class series works continue to command the top prices—e.g., the artist’s record $110.7 million for Meules (2019) [2] and $74.0 million for a large Nymphéas in 2023 [3]—while strong, mid‑scale masterpieces in celebrated series have transacted in the mid‑to‑high eight figures (e.g., Meules à Giverny at $34.8 million in 2024) [5]. The Red Boats, Argenteuil sits between these poles: it is not a late, monumental Nymphéas, but it is a museum‑caliber, instantly legible Argenteuil icon—one of Monet’s most commercially favored early subjects.

Positioning within Monet’s market: The 1872–1876 Argenteuil years are a “sweet spot” for collectors: modern leisure on the Seine, brilliant color, and crystalline reflections—motifs that epitomize early Impressionism. The Red Boats’ distinctive vermilion hulls, crisp rigging, and reflective water create a high‑impact composition at the classic 60 × 80 cm scale, ideal for both private and institutional buyers. Works of this type are exceptionally scarce in today’s market; when they appear, they benefit from trophy‑level attention even amid cyclical selectivity.

Key adjustments: We weight upward for (i) prime date and subject; (ii) celebrated image with deep exhibition and publication history (since 1876); and (iii) museum‑caliber quality and visibility [1]. We temper relative to Monet’s absolute peak series premiums (late Nymphéas, London bridges) by benchmarking to the $41.5 million 2008 Argenteuil result and to recent mid‑scale series outcomes in the $30–40 million band [4][5]. Condition can shift results materially: pristine or minimally restored surfaces, unified impasto, and no structural concerns would support the upper half of the range; visible condition complexities could compress it.

Practical note: This painting is a bequest to the Harvard Art Museums and is not realistically available for sale; the valuation presented is a market‑oriented, hypothetical fair‑market range rather than an insurance appraisal or deaccession recommendation [1]. Within a top evening sale, under normal market conditions and with competitive guarantee structuring, we would expect bidding depth consistent with the $25–45 million conclusion.