Sotheby’s Wins Legal Action Over the Right to Sell the Most Expensive Art Collection Ever Auctioned
After years of legal wrangling and Covid delays, the storied art collection of real estate tycoon Harry Macklowe and his ex-wife, Linda, is headed for auction at Sotheby’s, and could fetch more than $600 million.
The collection, which includes prized works by Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol and Alberto Giacometti, has the highest estimate of any single collector sale in history, Sotheby’s said.
It’s also been fiercely contentious. The Macklowes fought bitterly in court over its value and proceeds. Then, auction houses and top dealers fought over the chance to sell it.
“The Macklowe Collection stands in a league of its own as the greatest collection of Modern and Contemporary Art ever to come to the market,” said Sotheby’s CEO Charles Stewart. “It will undoubtedly captivate top collectors from around the world, and the sale will make history as one of the landmark events defining the art market and the history of Sotheby’s over the past 277 years.”
