The first session of bidding for Microsoft co-founder’s collection reached $1,500 million
The auction of the art collection of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen broke all records this Wednesday at the headquarters of the prestigious Christie’s in New York. It was considered one of the best private collections in the world and the numbers have confirmed this. Two hours were enough in the first of the two sessions to raise the auctioned pieces to $1,500 million. The highest record to date in the history of art auctions.
The businessman, who died in 2018, collected more than 150 pieces during his lifetime, spanning nearly 500 years of history. Quite a claim for collectors from around the world, both those who visited the Rockefeller Center building in person and those who interacted with the room remotely.
Among the most coveted were those of the great Impressionist masters, the best example being Georges Seurat’s ‘Les poseuses, ensemble’, which sold for 149.24 million, five times the price the artist had achieved.
The figure of 100 million was also surpassed by a Cézanne (‘La Montaigne Sainte-Victoire’, 137 million), a Van Gogh (‘Verger avec cyprès’, 117 million), a Gauguin (‘Maternité II’, 105 million) and a Klimt (‘Birch Forest’, 104 million).
The highest auction figure to date was held by the collection of Harry and Linda Macklowe, two New York billionaires who had to sell their art treasures due to their divorce. The sale raised a total of $922 million.
Allen’s collection has sparked great interest from the public, who have queued for hours in recent days to enter the site where the works were exhibited.
In addition, the collection will continue to appreciate in value this Thursday evening in the second scheduled session, although it should be noted that the remaining pieces will start at estimated prices much lower than the first, from a minimum of $3,000 to approximately three million max.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
