Kansas City's Nelson-Atkins Museum to Auction Beloved Monet Painting

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City plans to auction the Claude Monet painting, Mill at Limetz, 1888. Ethel B. Atha donated the painting to the museum in 1986. After her daughter, Ethelyn Atha Chase, passed away in September 2023, the family decided to sell their one-third share. The museum and the family agreed to auction the painting at Christie’s Auction Company in May 2024.

The painting has been displayed at the museum since 2008 and is one of five Monet paintings in the collection. The museum will use its share of the sale proceeds for future art purchases. Julián Zugazagoitia, the museum's Director & CEO, thanked the Atha family for their donation.

The Atha family has supported the arts in Kansas City since 1908. They collected French Impressionist paintings, British and American silver, and American modernism. They have also funded an annual lecture series by art historians since 1982.

Monet painted Mill at Limetz in the summer of 1888. It is one of two paintings featuring the grain mill at Limetz on the River Epte, near his home in Giverny. The other painting was sold in the fall of 2023. Aimee Marcereau DeGalan, the museum's Senior Curator, believes the Atha family's support will help the museum acquire new works.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum will still have a significant collection of Monet's works after the sale. These include Boulevard des Capucines (1873/1874) and Water Lilies (ca. 1915-1926). The museum also owns two snowscapes from 1875. A local collector is lending the museum Monet’s Church at Vétheuil (1881), ensuring the artist’s 1880s works will remain available for viewing.

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