Five Rothko works hit New York auction block simultaneously

Five paintings by Mark Rothko will be offered across New York's spring evening auctions, a rare concentration of works by the artist. Sotheby's leads with 'Brown and Blacks in Reds' (1957), estimated at $70mn-$100mn, from the collection of dealer Robert Mnuchin. Christie's counters with 'No. 15 (Two Greens and Red Stripe)' (1964), owned by philanthropist Agnes Gund, estimated around $80mn. Additional Rothkos include 'No. 1' (1949, est $15mn-$20mn) from Mnuchin, a 1969 work on paper from beauty entrepreneur Terry de Gunzburg (est $10mn-$15mn), and a circa 1959 mixed-media piece from the estate of David and Shoshanna Wingate. The consignments reflect a market reliant on high-value trophies from single owners, buoyed by Sotheby's $527mn sale of the Leonard Lauder collection last autumn. Other highlights include works from the SI Newhouse collection (Jackson Pollock, Jasper Johns, Constantin Brancusi), the Marian Goodman estate (Gerhard Richter), and the Enrico Donati collection (Picasso, Kandinsky). Phillips offers Andy Warhol's '4 Colored Marilyns' (est $4mn-$6mn) and Joan Mitchell's 'Plain' (est $5mn-$7mn). Mari-Claudia Jiménez of Withers Art Advisory notes the limited buyer pool above $60mn, estimating only about five potential bidders for top-tier Rothkos. The auctions run in May 2026.