The Collection of Mica Ertegun continues to dazzle the art and decorative art world at Christie’s auction house, where debut sales in late November drew record-breaking prices for some of the finest Surrealist works along with rare examples of Russian and Ukrainian Modernism, Purism, d Stijl and Color Field. Rene Magritte’s L’empire des lumieres, sold for $121.2 million, the highest price paid for a work of art at auction globally in 2024. The third and final live auction will take place on Dec. 13, with the New York online sale running Dec. 4-17, and Paris online from Dec. 4-18.
Ertegun, a philanthropist, interior designer, and taste arbiter died just over a year ago at the age of 93. Born into a prominent Romanian family in 1926, she was forced to flee to Switzerland in 1948 when the Communists took over her homeland. Penniless, she later moved to Paris where she modeled to support herself and her first husband, aristocrat Stafan Grecianu. The couple later moved to Canada, where they ran a chicken farm on Lake Ontario. Ertegun has said that the years spent on the farm were some of the happiest of her life. In 1958, she met Ahmet Ertegun, co-founder of Atlantic Records, while on a trip to New York, where she met with the Turkish ambassador in hopes of effecting the release of her father from Romania. She married Ertegun in 1961 and for the next 60 years, built a collection that Max Carter, Christie’s Vice Chairman of 20th and 21st Century Art, describes thus: “Everything in her homes, from the masterpieces to the functional objects, was exquisite and personal. Her generous embrace of other cultures is reflected in the collection’s range, with Russian and Ukrainian Modernism hanging side-by-side with Ruscha, Hockney, and Miro…”
Monogrammed Louis Vuitton suitcases. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
Ertegun also built a reputation for her impeccable style. In 1967, she partnered with Vogue contributor Chessy Rayner to found MAC II (Mica and Chessy), and went on to create some of some of the most lauded interiors in homes and apartments all over the world. Both have been recognized among the esteemed designers and architects listed on the AD100. The Ertegun’s were perhaps best known for their unparalleled hosting of events filled with figures from across the globe hailing from the art, music, fashion and media worlds. Such crosspollination was reflected in the interiors of Ertegun’s homes in Manhattan, Southampton, Paris and Bodrum, Turkey. At Christie’s, the offerings include the contents from those homes, which were the laboratories for her life as a designer and a hostess.
Cartier Art Deco multi-gem and diamond brooch. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
Art, music, education and religious organizations all benefited from Ertegun’s generosity, with preservation of such heritage sites as Brancusi’s Endless Column in Romania and the Edicule of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem to a scholarship program in the humanities at Oxford University among her contributions. “One of the great joys [for me] has been the study of history, music, languages, literature, art and archaeology. I believe it is tremendously important to support those things that endure across time…and make the world a more humane place.”
See more images below:
A rare Jar ruby and diamond torsade necklace. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
Diamond earrings. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
A George IV Mahogany Serving Table and Collected Bar Service. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
Three sets of German papier mache botanical models by Robert and Reinhold Brendel, late 19th, early 20th century. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
A pair of lamps by Ingrid Donat. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
A pair of mahogany and canvas folding campaign armchairs. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
Giorgio de Chirico, Cavalli Antichi. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
An Iznik pottery dish. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
