Acquisition Endowment Created with Proceeds

Kansas City, MO - The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City announced that the Claude Monet painting Mill at Limetz, 1888, was sold at auction at Christie’s in New York May 16 for $21,685,000. The painting was a partial gift to the museum in 1986 by Ethel B. Atha, and the decision to sell the painting was made following the death in September 2023 of her daughter, Ethelyn Atha Chase, who held a life interest in part of the painting. Director & CEO of the Nelson-Atkins, Julián Zugazagoitia, traveled to New York with a small group of Trustees to witness the auction.

“The auction was a thrilling experience,” said Evelyn Craft Belger, Chair of the Board of Trustees. “This newly created endowment will provide funds for future acquisitions to add depth and diversity to the museum’s galleries for generations to come.”

There was global interest in the painting, which had multiple bidders. The buyer remains anonymous. Ahead of the sale, the painting toured the world to be shown to prospective buyers in Hong Kong, Taipei, London, and Paris, among other cities.

“We are very pleased this beautiful painting has found a new home,” said Julián Zugazagoitia, Director & CEO of the Nelson-Atkins. “The newly created Joseph S. and Ethel B. Atha Art Acquisition Endowment will allow us to acquire art that will impact many future generations.”

Mill at Limetz is one of only two paintings the artist realized in the summer of 1888 that feature this view of the grain mill at Limetz on the River Epte, about a mile away from the artist’s Giverny home. Its counterpart was sold recently at auction this past fall.

The Nelson-Atkins continues to possess strong holdings in Monet that span the artist’s career. His landmark 1873/1874 composition, Boulevard des Capucines, signals the birth of Impressionism, while his enormously popular Water Lilies, ca. 1915-1926, reveals the triumphant culmination of his artistic vision. The museum also owns two lyrical snowscapes, both realized in 1875. In addition, a local Kansas City collector is now lending Monet’s serene and beautiful Church at Vétheuil, from 1881, ensuring that the artist’s 1880s works will continue to be available for viewers.