Masterpiece of French realism discovered in UK after half a century
LONDON, UK. NOVEMBER 20, 2025. Olympia Auctions is thrilled to announce the discovery of a watercolour by revered French realist painter Léon Bonvin (1834–1866), recognised today as a key figure in French Realist painting. Painted in 1865 in the final year of the artist’s short life, its existence was previously unknown. It can now be added to the nineteen recorded works that Bonvin painted that year (only three of which remain in private hands) and is just the 117th work of which we now know the whereabouts, the vast majority of which are held in museum collections around the world.