Mark Rothko – Brown and Blacks in Reds
Mark Rothko’s Brown and Blacks in Reds sold for $85.8 million at Sotheby’s white glove auction (100% sold by lot) of the collection of Robert Mnuchin in New York last night. It was the second highest price for a Rothko at auction. The Mnuchin collection made $166.3 million. The Now and Contemporary auction at Sotheby’s last night totalled €266.8 million, a 110% increase on last years sale. The combined total was $433.1 million. There were artists records for Kenneth Noland, Ding Shilun, Joseph Jaeger, Yu Nishimura and Florian Krewer.
The Mnuchin collection was characterised by deep bidding, averaging 12 bids per lot, with bidders participating from 24 countries. Artworks from the collection of Jean and Terry de Gunzburg totalled $50.7 million. The standout results continue a strong wave of 100% sold sales in recent months at Sotheby’s around the world, starting with the sale of the Karpidas collection in September last year, followed by six white-glove sales at Sotheby’s New York last season and further white-glove sales of Modern and Contemporary Art in Hong Kong and London in March.
(See posts on antiquesandartireland.com for April 5 and May 2, 2026)