Over the summer, Sotheby’s and Christie’s worked to secure some of the season’s highest-value estates ahead of the November marquee sales in New York.
The full lineup has now been announced: Christie’s has secured the collections of Elaine Wynn (estimated above $75 million) and Robert and Patricia Weis (about $180 million), while Sotheby’s has landed the collections of Cindy and Jay Pritzker (up to $120 million) and the Leonard A. Lauder estate (more than $400 million). Together, the four consignments represent nearly $800 million in expected sales and confirm that single-owner collections remain some of the most reliable drivers of the high-end market.
See also: White-Glove Sale for Pauline Karpidas’s Collection at Sotheby’s London
This follows a strong May marquee week, when several private collections carried the season and ensured a solid overall performance. Main among them was the Riggio Collection at Christie’s, which realized $271.9 million and produced the top lot of the week, a $47.6 million Mondrian, alongside two white-glove sales from the estates of Barbara Gladstone and Daniella Luxembourg at Sotheby’s.
The Collection of Robert F. and Patricia G. Ross Weis ($180 million, Christie’s)
One of the first major consignments to be announced for the November sales, the collection of Robert F. Weis and Patricia G. Ross Weis, longtime patrons and former owners of the Weis Markets fortune, was won by Christie's. Valued in excess of $180 million, the group comprises around 80 works spanning early modernism to Abstract Expressionism. Eighteen pieces will appear in a dedicated single-owner sale ahead of Christie’s 20th Century Evening Sale, with additional works dispersed through the modern and postwar day auctions.
Among the highlights are Pablo Picasso’s La Lecture (Marie-Thérèse) (1932), carrying an estimate around $40 million; Mark Rothko’s No. 31 (Yellow Stripe) (1958), estimated near $50 million; Piet Mondrian’s Composition with Red and Blue (1939–41), estimated between $20 million and $30 million; and Henri Matisse’s Figure et bouquet (Tête ocre), expected to bring up to $25 million. Assembled over decades by the Pennsylvania couple, the collection traces key developments in 20th-century art from Europe to the United States.
The Collection of Elaine Wynn ($75 million, Christie’s)
Christie’s will also offer works from the collection of the late casino magnate and philanthropist Elaine Wynn in its November sales, with a combined estimate in excess of $75 million. The group spans the 19th to 21st centuries and includes major works by Lucian Freud, Richard Diebenkorn, J.M.W. Turner, and Joan Mitchell.
Two lots carry high estimates of $25 million each: Freud’s The Painter Surprised by a Naked Admirer (2004–05) and Diebenkorn’s Ocean Park #40 (1971), both of which have appeared at auction within the past few years. Turner’s Ehrenbreitstein, or The Bright Stone of Honour and the Tomb of Marceau is expected to bring up to $18 million, as is Mitchell’s Sunflower V (1969). Additional highlights include Fernand Léger’s Les Confidences (Les deux femmes au bouquet) (1921) and Wayne Thiebaud’s River Stretch (2000). The sale follows the recent announcement that Wynn’s estate has donated Francis Bacon’s Three Studies of Lucian Freud (1969) to LACMA.
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The Collection of Cindy and Jay Pritzker ($120 million, Sotheby’s)
Across town, Sotheby’s will present the collection of Chicago collectors Cindy and Jay Pritzker in its inaugural marquee sales at the company’s new headquarters at the Breuer Building. Valued at up to $120 million, the group includes works by Van Gogh, Matisse, Gauguin, Beckmann, and Miró.
The leading lot is Van Gogh’s Romans Parisiens (Les Livres jaunes) (1887), a still life of paperback novels estimated around $40 million that last appeared at auction in 1988. It is joined by Matisse’s Léda et le cygne (1944–46), estimated between $7 million and $10 million; Gauguin’s La Maison de Pen du, gardeuse de vache (1889), estimated at $6 million to $8 million; and Beckmann’s Der Wels (Catfish) (1929), estimated at $5 million to $7 million. Additional works by Miró, Kirchner, and Pissarro will also be included. The collection reflects the couple’s broad cultural interests and long-standing ties to Chicago’s institutions, from the Art Institute to the public library system that bears Cindy Pritzker’s imprint.
The Collection of Leonard A. Lauder ($400 million, Sotheby’s)
Rounding out its November lineup, Sotheby’s has also won the top collection of the season: a group of 55 works from the estate of Leonard A. Lauder, heading to auction with a combined estimate exceeding $400 million. The collection features museum-caliber works by Gustav Klimt, Henri Matisse, Edvard Munch, and Agnes Martin, assembled over decades by the late Estée Lauder heir and Whitney Museum benefactor.
See also: Klimt's Last Portrait Breaks an Auction Record
Klimt’s Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer (1914–16) leads the sale, estimated above $150 million and representing one of only two full-length portraits by the artist remaining in private hands. Two further Klimt landscapes – Blooming Meadow (1906), estimated over $80 million, and Forest Slope in Unterach (1917), estimated above $70 million – will also headline the auction. Other highlights include a suite of six Matisse bronzes valued at roughly $30 million, Munch’s Midsummer Night (circa 1901–03) estimated above $20 million, and Agnes Martin’s The Garden (1964), carrying a record high estimate for the artist of more than $10 million.
To secure the consignment, Sotheby’s is understood to have provided a financial guarantee, meaning the house or third-party backers will cover any shortfall on works that sell below the guaranteed level or fail to find buyers. Proceeds will benefit the Lauder trust.
