Impressionist greats on show before £60m sale

ART not seen at auction for generations goes on view today in the run-up to a £60 million sale next month.

Christie's is putting 12 of the most valuable lots in its Impressionist and modern art auction on free public show at its King Street gallery until the sale on 4 February.

They include Dans La Prairie, a masterpiece by Claude Monet, which was shown at an exhibition in Paris in 1877 at which the artists first embraced the term "Impressionist".

The painting is expected to sell for as much as £15million.

Other highlights include paintings by Edouard Vuillard and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.