Bonhams to Sell 21 Rare Renoirs From Gabrielle Renard’s Collection
A group of 21 paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919) that once belonged to Gabrielle Renard is heading to auction, offering a rare look at the artist’s private world through the eyes of one of his closest companions. Bonhams will present the works in an online sale, A Lasting Impression, running from May 10 to 20.
Renard entered the Renoir household in 1894 at age 16, hired as Jean’s nanny. Over time, she became far more than a family employee: Renoir used her repeatedly as a model, and she appears in a wide range of portraits and related works. The artist’s son Jean later credited Renard with shaping his creative life, writing in his 1974 memoir that she taught him to see beyond appearances and reject cliché.
The auction group includes portraits, landscapes, and still lifes, many of them little seen by the public. Among the portraits are Gabrielle à la blouse blanche (1907), estimated at $220,000 to $330,000, and Portrait de Gabrielle (1910), estimated at $300,000 to $500,000. Portrait de Charles Le Cœur, an early work depicting one of Renoir’s key patrons, carries a $250,000 to $350,000 estimate.
The sale is led by Fleurs (1887), which Bonhams expects to bring $500,000 to $700,000. Frederick Millar, a senior specialist at Bonhams, said the timing reflects both scholarly and market interest in Renoir’s work, and noted that the paintings represent the core works Renard and her family chose to keep. He added that many of the pictures will be new to public view.
Bonhams will display the paintings at its New York headquarters while the sale is live. The strongest benchmark for Renoir still lifes remains Bouquet de lilas (1878), which sold for $8.7 million at Sotheby’s London in 2024. For collectors, the offering combines intimacy, provenance, and a clear view into the artist’s enduring market strength.
