Christie's to Sell Leonard Riggio's 20th-Century Art Collection in New York

Christie's has secured an impressive art collection from Leonard Riggio, the founder of Barnes & Noble, and his wife Louise, with plans for an auction in New York in May 2025. The event, called Leonard & Louise Riggio: Collected Works, will feature around 30 significant pieces gathered over the last thirty years, focusing on 20th-century art. Highlights include works by Piet Mondrian, René Magritte, Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, and Andy Warhol. Prior to the auction during Christie's Spring Marquee Week, the collection will tour globally, stopping in cities like Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Paris, and Dubai. Leonard Riggio passed away in August 2024 at the age of 83, leaving a legacy of cultural support. Christie's CEO praised the collection's outstanding quality, while Louise expressed her enthusiasm for sharing it. The estimated values for the pieces are not yet revealed. This auction follows a record-breaking sale of another Magritte piece, which sold for over $120 million at Christie's in November 2024.