Joe Lewis Collection Sale Nets $392.6 M. at Sotheby's London

A Modigliani female nude led the Joe Lewis collection sale at Sotheby's London on Wednesday evening, fetching £48.2 million ($63.9 million). The single-owner sale totaled £296.3 million ($392.6 million), nearly double the $200 million estimate and a new record for Europe. None of the 25 lots were guaranteed; only an 1880 Degas failed to sell. Other top lots included a Lucian Freud portrait of Sue Tilley at £29.3 million ($38.8 million), a Gustav Klimt portrait of Gertha Felsőványi at £36.2 million ($47.9 million) bought by an Asian private collector, a Degas bronze dancer at £25.1 million ($33.3 million), an Egon Schiele Danaë at £17.9 million ($23.6 million), and a Gustave Caillebotte portrait at £10.3 million ($13.6 million). A René Magritte work on paper, La Belle Promenade, set a record for the artist at £16 million ($21.2 million) after not being exhibited for nearly 60 years. Lewis, former owner of Tottenham Hotspur, built the collection with his daughter Vivienne, focusing on School of London artists. He pled guilty to securities fraud in January 2024, was sentenced to three years probation and a $5 million fine, and was pardoned by President Donald Trump in November 2024.