Monet Painting That Belonged To Reclusive Heiress Sells For $27 Million

Earlier this week, Christie's spring art auctions sold $286 million worth of Impressionist and modern art - and most notably, Monet's "Nymphaes," part of the artist's water lilies series.

A Christie's auctioneer opened the bidding at $18 million, and within minutes, the painting was sold to a private Asian bidder for $27 million.

The painting was estimated to be worth $25 million to $35 million and came to the Manhattan auction house from Huguette Clark's private collection and the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

Clark, the daughter of the late billionaire copper baron William Clark, bought the painting in 1930 at the age of 23, reports The Washington Post. The 107-year-old painting hung in one of her three luxury apartments on Fifth Avenue until she died in 2011.

According to The Washington Post, approximately 15 law firms battled over her colossal $300 million estate up until last year. Due to the complex legal terms in the contested estate, Corcoran Gallery of Art will not receive a portion of the final sale price.

Here is another view of the painting from further away.