Why Collectors Prize Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Series as Investments ?

Impressionist artists revolutionized the way they explored subjects, creating series to capture fleeting moments, changing light, or subtle shifts in mood. This approach turned variations on a theme into masterworks of artistic experimentation.

For collectors, owning a piece from a celebrated series means acquiring a fragment of a larger vision. This interconnectedness often increases the work's value. These series deepened the emotional and intellectual engagement of collectors, ensuring their lasting value.

To illustrate this phenomenon, we can look at several masterworks that have increased in value due to their repetitive themes.

Claude Monet's Revolutionary Series

Claude Monet's dedication to his series is unparalleled. To capture the shifting effects of light and atmosphere, Monet would often set up as many as 14 canvases at once, painting the same subject at different times of day and under varying conditions. His Haystacks series, with 25 works, 30 paintings of the Rouen Cathedral, and his Water Lilies series, with nearly 250 paintings, embody this meticulous approach and have added to their place in history.

Water Lilies

Water Lilies - Art Institute of Chicago
(1903)

Water Lilies - Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
(1905)

The Water Lilies series evolved into a monumental exploration of reflection, light, and tranquility. Monet installed a custom-built studio to accommodate his larger canvases. In 2019, one of these paintings fetched $29.5 million at auction. [Source: Thevalue.com]

Haystacks and Rouen Cathedral

Stacks of Wheat - Art Institute of Chicago
(1890-91)

Haystack - Louvre Museum, Paris
(1891)

Far from repeating scenes, Monet aimed to capture the changing effects of light and atmosphere at different times of day or year in these series. These variations defined his style, with a Haystacks painting recently selling for $110.7 million, solidifying its status as a blue-chip art investment. [Source: Sothebys]

Rouen Cathedral - Harmonie Bleue, Musée d'Orsay
(1892-94)

Rouen Cathedral - Façade Sunset, National Gallery
(1892-94)

Paul Cézanne - The Card Players

Between 1890 and 1895, Cézanne created five versions of The Card Players, each capturing a different atmosphere, highlighting the subtleties of gestures and expressions. Today, these paintings are part of prestigious collections. One sold for approximately $250 million in 2011, demonstrating how series can transcend time and become high-value assets in the art market. [Source: Vanity Fair]

The Card Players, Barnes Foundation
(1890-92)

The Card Players - Metropolitan Museum
(1890-92)

The Card Players - Private Collection
(1892-93)

The Card Players - Orsay Museum
(1894-95)

The Card Players - Courtauld Institute
(1892-95)

Gustave Caillebotte - The River Yerres Triptych

Gustave Caillebotte painted hundreds of works around his home in the French town of Yerres, known as “the Other Capital of Impressionism.” His 1878 triptych, which focuses on the River Yerres, is comprised of three paintings: Baigneurs, bords de l’Yerres (Bathers on the Banks of the Yerres), Périssoires (Skiffs on the Yerres), and Pêche à la ligne (Angling). These panels were first exhibited together at the 4th Impressionist Exhibition in Paris in 1879. However, the triptych was subsequently dispersed, with Périssoires held by the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes and the other two panels entering private collections.

In a historic moment, the Fine Art museum in Rennes (france) reunited the triptych for a special exhibition in 2011. It was also displayed at the Orangerie Museum in Paris during a special exhibit in 2022. The triptych illustrates Caillebotte’s ability to merge decorative art with the Impressionist focus on light, leisure, and the natural world. The rarity of this reunion and the triptych’s fragmented history have elevated the cultural and historical value of these works, making them a prized component of Caillebotte’s legacy.

Boating on the Yerres - Art Institute of Chicago
(1877)

Les Périssoires - Musée d’Orsay
(1878)

Edgar Degas - The Ballet Dancers Series

Degas' fascination with ballet dancers spanned decades. His series includes over 1,500 pieces in various mediums, from oil paintings and pastels to sculptures. One standout work, Petite danseuse de quatorze ans (Little Dancer Aged Fourteen), has become iconic, with bronze casts continuing to sell for millions at auction. [Source:Christie's]

La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans - Musée d'Orsay
(1879-81)

Auguste Rodin - The Thinker Series

In sculpture, series also play a significant role. Rodin created 17 monumental bronze versions of The Thinker, each contextualized uniquely. These multiple interpretations enrich the viewer's experience, demonstrating how a single idea can evolve into an enduring symbol of cultural and artistic significance. [Source: Art Price]

The Thinker - Musée d'Art Moderne, France
(1880)

The Thinker - MET, New York
(1904)

Vincent van Gogh's Personal Series

Another master artist, Vincent van Gogh, used series to explore different ways of capturing raw emotion through color. Over his lifetime, Van Gogh produced dozens of self-portraits, each reflecting a different mood, color palette, or stylistic experiment. His series became a form of personal exploration, documenting not just his physical appearance but also his inner turmoil and artistic evolution. In one notable example, Van Gogh painted Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear shortly after a personal crisis, using color and texture to convey vulnerability and resilience. These works are highly valued today, as they offer an intimate look at Van Gogh’s life and mind. His repetition of themes—whether in self-portraits, sunflower studies, or depictions of his bedroom—has made his series some of the most sought-after in the world. [Source: Van Gogh Museum]

Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear - Courtauld Gallery
(1889)

Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear and Pipe - Private Collection
(1889)

The Evolution of Artistic Exploration Through Series

Impressionist and Post-Impressionist series reshaped the art world by emphasizing experimentation and process over singular perfection. Artists like Monet and Van Gogh used series to delve deeper into their subjects, capturing not just what they saw but how they experienced it. This practice allowed them to explore themes like light, color, and emotion in ways that single works could not.

When Monet first exhibited his series, he faced harsh criticism. Some observers, uninformed or insensitive, dismissed them as mere repetitions, even suggesting a lack of inspiration. Nothing could have been further from the truth. For Monet, series were a way to delve deeply into a subject, exploring every nuance and variation. These judgments, from minds unable to grasp the artist’s philosophy, have since been disproven by history, with his series among the most admired and lucrative artworks globally.

The influence of this approach extends far beyond Impressionism. Contemporary artists, including Réhahn, continue to use series as a means to explore cultural narratives and artistic techniques. Collectors are drawn to these works not only for their beauty but for the broader stories they tell, making them valuable both artistically and as an investment.

Carmine, Imperial, Royal - Ao Dai Series
(2022)

Building a Narrative Through Artistic Series

Creating a series in contemporary fine art demands clear intent and meaningful variations, transforming each piece into a chapter of a cohesive narrative. Réhahn’s Carmine, Imperial, and Royal series exemplifies this, with each photograph symbolizing a distinct color theme: the deep red of Carmine for prosperity, the royal blue of Imperial echoing Vietnam’s vanished dynasties, and the vibrant yellow of Royal evoking cultural layers of hope, power, and celebration. These colors, inspired by the traditional ao dai and the Japonisme movement, bridge Vietnam’s heritage with the global art stage. Displayed together, the series resonates with both Asian and Western traditions, making it a favorite among collectors seeking aesthetic and investment value.

Into the Wave, Maroon, Aquamarine - Fisherman Series
(2020)

Similarly, Réhahn’s Fishing Nets series captures Vietnam’s connection to artisanal fishing through vivid palettes and symbolic narratives. Iconic works such as Into the Wave, Maroon, Aquamarine, and the newer Crystalline illustrate both stylistic evolution and cultural celebration. From the Pre-Impressionist clarity of Into the Wave to the Impressionistic fluidity of Crystalline, these works transform Vietnam’s fishing heritage into a surreal and immersive visual experience. Collectors eagerly anticipate new additions to these series, deepening their appeal as both cultural tributes and fine art investments.

Crystalline - Fishing Series
(2024)

Art Series as Creative Exploration and Investment Strategy

For a fine artist, working in series is a creative challenge and a way to go beyond first impressions to uncover new viewpoints. As shown by Cézanne, Monet, Rodin, and Réhahn, series are essential tools for deepening our understanding of light, forms, and symbols while also creating a compelling investment.

Explore Réhahn's iconic series, from the intricate Decorative Fan collection to the mesmerizing Fishing Nets variations.

Discover the full collection here.