Monet’s Night in Paris: The Wild Success of An Iris Painting at Sotheby’s Record-Breaking Auction and a Heavenly Smile from Christian Dior

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'Giverny at Night' Dior Autumn Winter 2026-2027 Collection by Tanya & Zhenya Posternak AOC Fashion

Christian Dior famously stated:

“After women, flowers are the most divine creations.”

There is no explicit historical record confirming that Christian Dior ever visited Claude Monet’s house and gardens at Giverny, which is not far from Paris. The property, which is now a world-famous museum and living work of art, had fallen into a dreadful state of disrepair.

However, Dior was deeply enamored by Impressionist art and the parallels between his and Monet's artistic philosophies are well-documented.

The designer famously designed haute couture dresses directly inspired by the painter, such as translating Monet's The Artist's Garden at Giverny into an iconic 1952 gown covered in cascading chiffon petals.

Convergence was in the air when Jonathan Anderson showed his Fall 2026 collection on March 3 in the Tuileries Garden. “It’s a promenade, the idea of people dressing up to walk in the park,” the designer said, just before his models traversed a bridge over a water-lily pond.

“The sheer grandeur of the vistas from the glasshouse—views of the Louvre in one direction, the obelisk of the Place de la Concorde in the other—spoke to “the idea of the city,” said Anderson, the Tuileries’ history as royal pleasure gardens, and Dior’s power and ownership of its place at the pinnacle of Parisian luxury culture. And the water lilies and bridge? Monet’s garden at Giverny, of course—his famous paintings residing just over the way in their gallery at the Orangerie . . . ”

Last Week in Paris, The Night Belonged to Claude Monet

The spirit of Claude Monet was far more important to Christian Dior than it is to Jonathan Anderson. A week ago in Paris, a little-known, never exhibited Monet painting called ‘Iris’ became the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction in France.

Six bidders competed for nearly 45 minutes before it went to a private collector in Asia, who bid by phone through Jen Hua, deputy chairman of Sotheby’s Asia. A jubilant Sotheby’s executive summed up the situation. “Tonight, Paris belonged to Monet”, wrote Town & Country.

The nearly six-foot wide canvas was painted in 1924 and 1925, in the final years of Monet’s career as a painter. It’s the largest of the Iris paintings, numbering about 20, to remain in private hands. By contrast, more than 250 paintings were dedicated to water lilies [‘Nymphéas’].

If only there was a way for Christian Dior Couture to ride that wave, the tie-in would have been fabulous!