Another auction record has fallen in the past week or so after Christie’s brought the hammer down on $800 million (£590m) worth of art from a single collection. No surprise that the collection belonged to Peggy and David Rockefeller, a family that has been a cornerstone of the art market ever since wealthy US industrialists first turned their attention to culture towards the end of the 19th century.
To put in context just how big this sale was, the previous record for a single-owner collection was set by the Yves St Laurent Collection, also offered by Christie’s, which totalled $484m (£357m) in Paris in 2009.
The three-day Rockefeller sale ended on May 10 with a flourish, when a Picasso painting once owned by the writer Gertrude Stein took $115m (£85m) by itself.
By that time bidders had had the chance to compete for works by Monet ($84m/£62m) and Matisse ($80.8m/£59.7m) – a new record for the artist – while even those without access to millions could compete for modestly priced items, such as cufflinks.
All of the 893 lots offered live sold, with another 600 sold online.
Peggy Rockefeller died in 1996 and David in 2017, and the sale was staged by their son David Jr who pledged the proceeds to charity.
Great art, great wealth, a spectacular occasion and, at the end of it all, a massive boost to worthy causes; it doesn’t get better than that.
