Christie's $1B Sale: Pollock Record, Kidman Hype
At Christie's May 18 evening sale, Jackson Pollock's 'Number 7A, 1948' sold for $181.2 million, nearly tripling his previous auction record. Constantin Brancusi's 'Danaïde' (c. 1913) fetched $107.6 million, becoming the second most expensive sculpture ever sold. Both works came from the collection of late magazine magnate S.I. Newhouse. In a subsequent auction, Mark Rothko's 'No. 15 (Two Greens and Red Stripe)' from Agnes Gund's collection sold for $98.4 million, surpassing his prior record. Christie's promoted the sale with a video of Nicole Kidman dancing around the Brancusi bust to David Bowie's 'Golden Years.' The Newhouse collection has now surpassed $1.05 billion in total sales, ranking as the second most valuable private collection after Paul Allen's. Buyers of the Pollock and Brancusi were not disclosed.
Key facts
- Jackson Pollock's 'Number 7A, 1948' sold for $181.2 million at Christie's on May 18.
- Constantin Brancusi's 'Danaïde' (c. 1913) sold for $107.6 million, second most expensive sculpture ever.
- Both works were from S.I. Newhouse's collection.
- Mark Rothko's 'No. 15 (Two Greens and Red Stripe)' sold for $98.4 million from Agnes Gund's collection.
- Christie's promotional video featured Nicole Kidman dancing around the Brancusi bust.
- Newhouse collection total sales exceed $1.05 billion, second only to Paul Allen's collection.
- Buyers of the Pollock and Brancusi were not named.
- The sale included 16 masterpieces from Newhouse's collection featuring artists like Joan Miró, Henri Matisse, Piet Mondrian, and Jasper Johns.
Entities
Artists
- Jackson Pollock
- Constantin Brancusi
- Nicole Kidman
- Alberto Giacometti
- Joan Miró
- Henri Matisse
- Piet Mondrian
- Jasper Johns
- Mark Rothko
- Agnes Gund
- S.I. Newhouse
- Paul Allen
- David Bowie
- Lubin Baugin
- Peter Halley
Institutions
- Christie's
- Sotheby's
- Vichy Enchères
- Louvre
- Pinakothek der Moderne
- Freunde der Pinakothek der Moderne
- Breker
- Hasselblad
- Neue Nationalgalerie
Locations
- Paris
- New York
- United States
- Berlin
- Germany
- Toulouse
- France
- Cologne
- Göteborg
- Sweden