Honoring the Restituted Works of Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Alfred Sisley | Sotheby's

Alfred Sisley’s "Péniches" and Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s "Cariatides," which had been on loan to the Dieppe Museum and the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer since the end of World War II, were the subject of forced sales in 1941. On May 16, 2024, these artworks were officially returned to the gallery owner’s heirs during a ceremony at the French Ministry of Culture.

Sotheby’s, the first auction house to establish a department specializing in restitutions, is deeply honored to have been chosen by the heirs of Grégoire Schusterman to present these two masterpieces for sale.

Painted in 1909, "Deux jeunes femmes nues, guirlandes de feuillages et de fruits" (estimated at €1,000,000-1,500,000) is part of a series of four works consisting of two diptychs, where Renoir drew inspiration from the classical ideals of Antiquity and the Renaissance. One of these diptychs is now housed in the collections of the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia.

Painted in 1870, "Vue d'un port, les péniches" (estimated at €800,000-1,200,000) exemplifies the atmospheric studies conducted by Alfred Sisley during the early days of Impressionism. In this work, Sisley carefully captures the reflections and transparency of the river, alongside the soft light of the misty sky. Although it was part of Charles Pearson’s collection, the exact date of its acquisition by Grégoire Schusterman remains unknown.