6 Claude Monet paintings to be auctioned in NYC in May, could fetch $78M to $110M

Six paintings by French impressionist painter Claude Monet are among the stars heading for New York City's spring art auctions.

Sotheby's says together they could bring $78 million to $110 million at its May 5 sale of impressionist and modern art.

A 1905 example from Monet's "Water Lilies" series that's been in private hands since 1955 is estimated to bring $30 million to $45 million.

A 1908 painting of Venice has a pre-sale estimate of $15 million to $20 million. The Nazis had confiscated the painting but the son of noted collector Jakob Goldschmidt got it back in 1960. It is now being sold from the collection of his late grandson.

Last year, Sotheby's sold 18 Monets for $190.5 million. Five others sold in London in February for $83.8 million.