Jeff Koons' Personal Art Collection Heads to Christie's with $100 Million Estimate

Key facts

• Nine works from Jeff Koons's personal collection will be auctioned at Christie's under the title Heroes and Lovers, estimated at around $100 million.
• Christie's has not officially identified the consignor, calling the owner a "distinguished private collector," but market reports point to Koons.
• The collection includes works by Pablo Picasso, Édouard Manet, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, François Le Moyne, Cornelis van Haarlem, and Tilman Riemenschneider.
• Picasso is represented by four paintings, led by Le Baiser (1969), estimated at around $40 million, more than double the $17.4 million Koons paid at Sotheby's in 2008.
• Couple (1969) was acquired by Koons in 2011 for $10.5 million; the Picasso group also includes Tête de femme (Dora Maar) (1941) and another Tête de femme (1940).
• Cornelis van Haarlem's Hercules and Achelous (1590), bought by Koons in 2008 for $8.1 million — then a record for the artist — is now estimated at around $12 million.
• Seven works will be offered on November 17 in New York during Christie's 20th Century Evening Sale; the two oldest works will be sold during Classics Week in January 2027.
• Christie's has reportedly guaranteed the collection, and speculation suggests the proceeds may fund Koons's new productions, though the auction house has not confirmed the owner or the reasons for the sale.