Exquisite works on offer at Christie's auction on June 22

According to Christie's head of Impressionist & Modern art, Giovanna Bertazzoni, a fierce international demand is there in the market, especially for the rarest and the best works of art.
For instance, Picasso set a new record in New York when his 1932 painting ‘Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust’ fetched $106.5m. His reign as the most expensive artist ever at auction was though briefly disturbed when.Alberto Giacometti's lifetime sculpture on bronze ‘Walking Man I’ went for $65m.

Against such astonishing sums, the £30m- 40m estimate for some of the works at the Christie's auction on June 22 is not surprising, at all. Here is a quick look at the exquisite works on offer at the most valuable auction about to take place:

Nympheas, Claude Monet £30m-£40m
Monet painted about 250 in total, some of which are fragmentary; this one last sold in the US in 2000 for £14m. They always fetch huge prices – a very rich man's purchase.

Portrait d'Angel Fernandez de Soto - pablo picasso £30m-£40m
This is from his Blue Period, which makes it very desirable. It's a tougher picture than the others in the sense that it isn't pretty – the subject's curled lip and arrogant air have an immense impact. The hefty price tag is in line with the market.

Le baiser, Pablo Picasso £8m-£12m
These late Picassos have proved very popular recently. Picasso was prolific, particularly in his later years, which one might think would negatively affect valuations, but not so – buyers are lapping them up.

Nu la chaise longue, Henri Matisse £5.5m-£8.5m
This is quite a conservatively priced Matisse nude. The great, familiar Matisses are all in museums and never come on the market, so his prices at auction don't reflect his importance.

La Liseuse, Pablo Picasso £6m-£9m
This is from Picasso's classical period, but look at her hands – they are really badly painted, like a bunch of bananas.

Parc de l'hopital Saint-Paul, Vincent van Gogh £8m-£12m
Very few Van Goghs come to auction. It is attractive and was painted just before his death, which is quite poignant.

Frauenbildnis (Portrait of Ria Munk III), Gustav Klimt £14m-£18m
This lacks Klimt's trademark gold and isn't quite so icon-like. But it is a seductive image and one of the last of Klimt's sought-after female portraits.