Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, born in Limoges in 1841, was a founding Impressionist whose scenes of Parisian leisure, such as Bal du moulin de la Galette (1876) and Luncheon of the Boating Party, defined the movement's image of modern life. From the 1880s he moved toward firmer drawing and, in his late years at Cagnes-sur-Mer, toward monumental nudes and bathers. He was extremely prolific, with several thousand paintings, so his works appear at auction in every price band and in every major sale season. For the market Renoir is a highly liquid but price-tiered name: important 1870s canvases command tens of millions, while late works trade far lower. His record remains Bal du moulin de la Galette, sold for 78.1 million dollars in 1990.