NEW YORK – Christie’s is delighted to announce New York Spring Marquee Week: a series of auctions offering an array of works by the most important artists from throughout the 20th and 21st centuries taking place live in Christie’s storied Rockefeller Center saleroom in the heart of Manhattan. Sales will begin the evening of Monday, May 12, with the highly anticipated single-owner sale, Leonard & Louise Riggio: Collected Works, immediately followed by the 20th Century Evening Sale. Auctions will continue Tuesday, May 13, with the Impressionist and Modern Art Works on Paper and Day Sales, and through Wednesday, May 14, with the 21st Century Evening Sale. The week will conclude with the final auction on Thursday, May 15, the Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale. The series of auctions is a testament to the desirability for works of rich provenance and for creatives of diverse backgrounds, with Latin American artists and female artists taking center-stage throughout the week. The featured single-owner selections with the sales each reflect a studied connoisseurship while reflecting individual tastes—and collectively demonstrate how the most highly distinguished collectors live with great art in their homes.  

The week’s inaugural sale, Leonard & Louise Riggio: Collected Works, is composed of 39 artworks from the esteemed collection of the Riggios, deeply generous patrons of the arts who played an instrumental role in shaping the landscape of New York’s art world as it exists today. Highlights in the group include outstanding works by artists including Mondrian, Picasso, Giacometti, Magritte and more. Together, the works collectively represent an anthology of changing ideas, ranging from Surrealist musings to reflections on the influence of Classicism.  

The 20th Century Evening Sale surveys defining masterworks from the pivotal decade alongside its antecedents, from Impressionist, to Modern and Post-War eras. The sale will feature a collection of nine works that come from the interior of the renowned Bass House in Fort Worth, Texas, a masterpiece of architecture designed by the legendary architect Paul Rudolph. Art from the Bass House is a reflection of the structure’s brilliant aesthetic and visionary design, with an exemplary Mark Rothko canvas leading the group (estimate on request; in the region of $35 million). Additional exceptional offerings within the sale include Monet’s monumental Peupliers au bord de l’Epte, crépuscule from his famed 1891 poplars series (estimate: $30,000,000-50,000,000), featuring an astoundingly rich jewel-toned palette, formerly held in the family collection of legendary Impressionist dealer Paul Durand-Ruel before entering the present collection where it has been cherished for decades; an important Warhol still life from the esteemed Matthys-Colle Collection coming to auction for the first time in its history, acquired in 1969 directly after its public debut at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm (Estimate on request; In the region of $30 million) and exceptionally rare and important works by Surrealist female artists Dorothea Tanning and Remedios Varo which are set to achieve among the highest prices at auction for the artists’ respective works.

The third and final evening sale of the week will be the 21st Century Evening Sale taking place on Wednesday. The leading highlight of the sale is a triple portrait by Jean-Michel Basquiat created during the all important year of 1982. The work is believed to be a portrayal of the artist alongside both his parents (estimate: $20,000,000 – 30,000,000). The sale will also be highlighted by For Art’s Sake: Selected Works by Tiqui Atencio & Ago Demirdjian, a magnificent group of 16 contemporary works that represent the finest and most highly coveted names in the contemporary market, led by fantastic works by Cecily Brown and Ed Ruscha. The sale also includes a strong representation of female artists, with best-in-class examples by Simone Leigh, Lisa Brice, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Jenny Saville, and more.  

Exhibition Hours | Christie’s New York, 20 Rockefeller Plaza

• 3 May 10:00am – 5:00pm
• 4 May 1:00pm – 5:00pm
• 5 – 14 May 10:00am – 5:00pm
• 15 May 10:00am – 2:00pm

Sale Schedule

• Leonard & Louise Riggio Collected Works | 12 May, 6:30pm
• 20th Century Evening Sale | 12 May, 7:30pm
• Impressionist and Modern Art Works on Paper | 13 May, 10:00am
• Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale | 13 May, 2:00pm
• 21st Century Evening Sale | 14 May, 7:00pm
• Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale | 15 May, 10:00am, 2:00pm

(Press Release)