The Macklowe Collection - A true success for the first sale at Sotheby’s: $ 676 million!

Yesterday evening, an exceptional auction took place at Sotheby’s New York: the modern and contemporary art Macklowe collection - sale following a divorce between the real estate developer Harry Macklowe and his wife Linda Burg in 2018. 

This wealthy couple of art collectors acquired for 50 years a qualitative collection reflecting decades of pursuit, improvement and refinement.

Scheduled as two separate events - the second being scheduled for spring 2022 for the sale of the last 30 pieces of the collection - the first night of the modern and contemporary art collection's auction totaled $ 676 million, including a painting of Mark Rothko of over 80 million, on track to set a historic record.

In just over 2 hours, the 35 works of art were sold, including four pieces over $ 50 millions, garnering applause from the public - between 200 and 300 people attending the sale in person at Sotheby's headquarters, following several virtual seasons due to the pandemic.

Highlights of the evening: the sale of the painting by American expressionist Mark Rothko (1903-1970), N ° 7, sold for $ 82.4 million, just before Le Nez by Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966) , an impressive suspended bronze - both pieces acquired by Asian collectors.

The sale of two canvases by pop-art master Andy Warhol was also successful: the Nine Marylins (1962), a series of faces depicting Marylin Monroe in black and white, sold for $ 47.3 million, and the Sixteen Jackies, dedicated to Jackie Kennedy, which found its buyer for $ 33.8 million.

At $ 676 million in a single evening, the Macklowe Collection's auction total could surpass the record set by the Rockefeller Collection sold in 2018 for $ 835 million.