The late Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen’s art collection made a record for the most expensive single-owner art collection ever auctioned in a single day when it fetched $1.506 billion at a Christie’s New York auction.
The Harry and Linda Macklowe collection, which fetched $922 million at auction at Sotheby’s, held the previous record for the most expensive collection ever.
Georges Seurat’s “Les Poseuses, Ensemble” sold for $149.2 million on Wednesday, making it one of five paintings to surpass the $100 million mark.
The price of La Montagne Sainte-Victoire by Paul Cezanne was $137.8 million.
Vincent van Gogh’s “Verger avec Cypres” sold at auction for $117 million, breaking the previous record established in 1990. The sale price of Maternite II by Paul Gaugin was $105.7 million.
One of Lucian Freud’s greatest works, “Large Interior, W11 (after Watteau),” sold for $86.3 million. A painting by Claude Monet called “Waterloo Bridge” sold for $64.5 million.
The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation will receive all of the proceeds.
Although Forbes says that they are anticipated to garner lower prices than those sold on Wednesday, 95 further works of art from Mr. Allen’s collection will go up for auction as part of the two-day sale on Thursday.
Typewriter Eraser, Scale X, a sculpture by Claes Oldenburg, is anticipated to fetch up to $7 million at auction.