Sotheby's London to Sell Lewis Collection Valued at Over £200 Million

Sotheby's London will auction the Lewis Collection on June 24-25, 2026, with a pre-sale exhibition from June 10-23. Assembled by Joe Lewis and his daughter Vivienne Lewis, the 48-lot collection is estimated to be the highest-value single-owner collection ever offered in Europe, exceeding £200 million. The collection focuses on works that were once considered scandalous, including Amedeo Modigliani's 'Nu assis au collier' (1917-18, estimate over £45 million), Edgar Degas's 'Petite danseuse de quatorze ans' (estimate £18-25 million), and Pablo Picasso's 'Buste de femme' (1938, estimate £12-18 million). Other artists include René Magritte, Henri Matisse, Max Beckmann, Francis Bacon, Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Lucian Freud, and Gustave Caillebotte. Freud's 'Sleeping by the Lion Carpet' is estimated at £25-35 million. Modigliani's nude series caused a police closure of his 1917 solo exhibition at Berthe Weill's gallery in Paris. Sotheby's notes that this Modigliani work is the highest-value ever offered in Europe. Oliver Barker, Chairman of Sotheby's Europe, highlighted the collection's theme of cultural disruption.