A Miniature Of His Masterpiece Sold For $78.1 Million

Pierre-Auguste Renoir's Bal du Moulin de la Galette is his most famous painting. It was painted in 1876 and represents a typical Sunday afternoon in 19th century Paris at the Moulin de la Galette in the Montmartre area. The Moulin de la Galette was an open-air dancing venue and cafe near Renoir's home that he frequented. The picture is regarded as his best work since it masterfully integrates the art of collective portrait, still life, and landscape painting, among other things. It is considered "the most beautiful painting of the nineteenth century" and is one of Impressionism's most well-known masterpieces.

Ryoei Saito, a Japanese buyer, bought a tiny version of this mammoth piece for $78.1 million in 1990 ($141.7 million in 2021). It was one of the most valuable works of art at the time, and it still holds the auction record for a Renoir painting.