Jun 12, 2026 – 5.00amImagine you are Claude Monet’s art dealer in 1882. Monet is not the impressionist master we celebrate today. He was a laughing stock who, critics said, couldn’t paint a proper picture.Monet writes to you urgently, begging for cash.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Elizabeth FortescueSaleroom writerElizabeth Fortescue writes the Saleroom column and about the visual arts. She was previously arts editor at The Daily Telegraph and is Australia correspondent for The Art Newspaper.Fetching latest articles