This November in New York City, Sotheby´s will have the distinct honor of auctioning the 55 piece art collection of recently deceased, renowned collector and philanthropist, Leonard A. Lauder. This marks what art world insiders hope will be a “comeback” for the contemporary art market, which has suffered somewhat in recent years due to economic and political instability both nationally and internationally.
I invite you to take a look at the pieces up for sale, valued at more than $ 400 million dollars on the Sotheby´s website: www.sothebys.com Among many works are paintings and sculpture by Gustav Klimt, Henri Matisse, Edvard Munch and Agnes Martin.
“Leonard is a collector who was a historian.”
Interestingly, Sotheby´s has guaranteed a minimum payout for the collection, and expects to supersede the estimates. “Leonard is a collector who was a historian,” said Emily Braun, an art history professor at Hunter College who had been Lauder’s curator for 39 years. “He got these objects that were both aesthetically the very best and historically the most important.” Many of these works are those that he chose to live with.
According to the NYTimes, “A combination of political uncertainty, high interest rates and falling demand from Asian collectors has forced the art market to shrink in recent years — as much as a 12 percent decline in 2024, according to the latest report by Art Basel and UBS, which also found a 39 percent decline in auctions of artworks valued at more than $10 million.”
The Lauder sales are expected to add a much needed dose of excitement at a time when big ticket sales have declined at auction. “These paintings have incredible pedigree,” Braun said. “They’ve never been on the open market.”
https://www.sothebys.com/en/series/leonard-a-lauder-collector?locale=en
Leonard is a collector who was a historian.”
Alfred Wild