Monet painting may fetch $48 million

LONDON, June 21 (UPI) -- A painting by French impressionist Claude Monet may sell at auction in Europe for nearly $48 million, art experts say.

Christie's auction house will place Monet's "Le bassin aux nympheas" up for bid next week, the rare painting could break the sales record for a single Monet work, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.

The current record for one of the painter's works was $41 million, set when "Le Pont du chemin de fer a Argenteuil" was sold in New York last year.

"Le basin" will be displayed at the London auction house until Tuesday as part of Christie's exhibition of Impressionist and Modern Art, the Telegraph said.

The newspaper said after the display ends, two weeks of auctions will begin that will include works from other noted artists like Henri Matisse and Edgar Degas.

The collection of paintings is expected to sell for a total of more than $440 million.