New York, 3 June 2026 - Phillips has announced that The Collection of Ambassador John L. Loeb, Jr. surpassed its aggregate pre-sale estimate to achieve a grand total of US$18 million across five auctions held over the spring season in New York and London. In all, 135 works were sold from the collection, beginning with an enthusiastic response in London, followed by a white-glove performance in New York that was 100 percent sold, and concluding with an online sale that was 90 percent sold by lot. The series produced an overall sell-through rate of 90 percent, with 43 percent of works selling above the high estimate, and set new world auction records throughout the spring for P. S. Kroyer, Anna Ancher, Harald Slott-Moller, Edvard Eriksen, and Joel Ballin.
Described by the house as the most important private collection of Danish art ever assembled, the group drew a genuinely international audience, with registered bidders hailing from 30 countries. Jeremiah Evarts, Deputy Chairman, Americas and Senior International Specialist, Modern & Contemporary Art, who served as auctioneer for the final live sale, called it "such a privilege to present the extraordinary Collection of Ambassador John L. Loeb Jr. to our community of collectors over the spring season," adding that the global participation, "with registrants from 30 countries and buyers from all corners of the globe," was "a testament to its rightful significance within the art historical canon." With the conclusion of the sales, he confirmed, "16 works have found new homes in some of the world's most renowned institutions."
Kirsten Mac Donald, Regional Director, Scandinavia, emphasized the homecoming the collection represented. "This collection has given Danish art a remarkable moment to shine on the global stage," she said, noting that presenting these artists alongside celebrated contemporary names "highlighted both the enduring relevance and international appeal of Danish art." To see "so many of these exceptional works returning to Denmark, where they can be enjoyed by the public," she added, "has exceeded all of my expectations."
Global demand and institutional acquisitions
Across the auctions, 16 works were acquired by major museums. Five Danish institutions secured six works across the London sales, while two paintings by Vilhelm Hammershoi in the New York Evening Sale, Courtyard Interior at Strandgade 30 and Study of standing woman, seen from behind, were taken by renowned global institutions. Ordrupgaard acquired Bertha Wegmann's Interior with a Bunch of Wildflowers, Tyrol, and the Statens Museum for Kunst took Hammershoi's Study drawing after plaster cast of ancient Greek Aphrodite, torso from c. 500 B.C. The David Collection acquired Jens Juel's Seated Chinese Man in Mandarin Dress, Randers Kunstmuseum secured L. A. Ring's Johanne Wilde at Her Loom, and Ribe Kunstmuseum took both Ludvig Find's The New Hat and Laurits Tuxen's Collecting Mussels at Low Tide at Le Portel, France, 1888. Vestsjaellands Museum acquired J. Th. Lundbye's Ships in a Harbor at Kalundborg Fjord.
Market-leading results and new auction records
New world records were set for artists central to the development of Danish painting at the turn of the century. Harald Slott-Moller's Summer Day (Sommerdag) (1888) sparked a bidding war lasting more than six minutes in the May Morning Session of Modern & Contemporary Art, ultimately selling for US$1,290,000 against an estimate of US$30,000 to US$50,000, to a bidder on the phone with Senior International Specialist Takako Nagasawa. P. S. Kroyer's Self-Portrait, Sitting by His Easel at Skagen Beach (1902) matched that figure at US$1,290,000, over an estimate of US$300,000 to US$500,000. Edvard Eriksen's The Little Mermaid (Den lille havfrue) (circa 1910 to 1913) realized US$541,800 against an estimate of US$12,000 to US$18,000. In London, Anna Ancher's Young Girl Reading a Letter (Ung pige, der laeser et brev) (1902) achieved £154,800 over an estimate of £30,000 to £50,000, and Joel Ballin's Study of a Model, Young Girl Undressing (Modelstudie, en ung pige klaeder sig af) (1844) brought £49,020 against an estimate of £4,000 to £6,000.
New auction records
| Artist and work | Estimate | Price achieved |
|---|---|---|
| P. S. Kroyer, Self-Portrait, Sitting by His Easel at Skagen Beach, 1902 | US$300,000 to US$500,000 | US$1,290,000 |
| Harald Slott-Moller, Summer Day (Sommerdag), 1888 | US$30,000 to US$50,000 | US$1,290,000 |
| Edvard Eriksen, The Little Mermaid (Den lille havfrue), circa 1910 to 1913 | US$12,000 to US$18,000 | US$541,800 |
| Anna Ancher, Young Girl Reading a Letter (Ung pige, der laeser et brev), 1902 | £30,000 to £50,000 | £154,800 |
| Joel Ballin, Study of a Model, Young Girl Undressing (Modelstudie, en ung pige klaeder sig af), 1844 | £4,000 to £6,000 | £49,020 |
The series arrives as Phillips marks its 230th anniversary in 2026. Founded in London in 1796 by the auctioneer Harry Phillips, the house has long offered a forward-looking approach to Modern & Contemporary Art, Design, and Luxury, and today holds its principal auctions in New York, London, Geneva, and Hong Kong.
Estimates do not include the buyer's premium; prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer's premium.
(Press Release)
