PICASSO – Fillette à la corbeille fleurie
It was an historic night at Christie’s in New York as the 19th & 20th Century Art Evening Sale, the first sale in the series from the Collection of Peggy and David Rockefeller, totalled $646,133,594 / £476,148,559 / €541,380,911. This exceeded the high estimate by $100 million. This is the most significant charitable auction ever.
The top lots of the sale were Picasso’s, Fillette à la corbeille fleurie, which realized $115,000,000, Monet’s Nymphéas en fleur, which totaled $84,687,500, and Matisse’s Odalisque couchée aux magnolias, which sold for $80,750,000.
In total, 7 works sold above $30 million, and 7 world auction artist records were set for Monet, Matisse, Corot, Delacroix, Seguin, Morandi and Redon. Collectors from Europe, Asia, North and South America, and Australia participated in the sales, representing 34 different countries.
Marc Porter, Chairman Americas, “The twin goals of education and philanthropy have driven this project and we have been so gratified with the engagement from global audiences from the moment we launched the sale in Hong Kong last November. The Rockefeller legacy has resonated strongly and we are thrilled with the results achieved for the first evening in this series of sales, already over our expectations. With new price levels set for Monet, Matisse, Corot, and others, the bidding was testament to the taste, connoisseurship and standing of the Rockefeller family combined with a shared goal to achieve a great result for the charitable beneficiaries of the sale. We continue tomorrow.”
Sales of The Collection of Peggy and David Rockefeller continue with English & European Furniture, Ceramics and Decorations Part I and the Art of the Americas Evening Sale on 9 May, and the Fine Art Day Sale, English & European Furniture, Ceramics and Decorations Part II and Travel and Americana on10 May. The Online only sale continues until Friday 11 May.
- The most valuable collection ever previously offered at auction was the Collection of Yves Saint Laurent et Pierre Bergé in 2009 at Christie’s Paris, which achieved more than US$400 million.
Matisse – Odalisque couchée aux magnolias
Monet – Nymphéas en fleur
This Sri Lankan sapphire and diamond bracelet, designed in the 1950’s, epitomizes the style of its era. Following a period of austerity which accompanied the war, the 1950’s heralded a decade of welcome prosperity. From a private Irish collection and estimated at 60,000-80,000 it is the main highlight of the evening jewellery sale at 
