Christie’s Auction of the Paul G. Allen Collection Garners $1.6 Billion

The most valuable private collection of all time, the Microsoft founder’s holdings set new records, with five artworks surpassing $100 million

Art exhibition display with three Renaissance-style portraits and a podium at Christie's gallery.
Photo: CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2022

Even before the first lot crossed the block, Christie’s auction on November 9 and 10, “Visionary: The Paul G. Allen Collection,” was set to smash records and send the art world into a frenzy with exceptional works by Georges Seurat, Paul Cezanne, Andrew Wyeth, and John Singer Sargent. Needless to say, the white-glove sale did not disappoint, bringing in more than $1 billion after just 32 of the first 60 lots, plus setting new auction records for 24 talents.

“Never before have more than two paintings exceeded $100 million in a single sale, but tonight we saw five,” Max Carter, Vice Chairman, 20th and 21st Century Art at Christie’s said in a statement following the Part I evening sale. “Four were masterpieces from the fathers of modernism—Cézanne, Seurat, van Gogh, and Gauguin.”

When the final hammer dropped, the Allen collection achieved $1.506 billion and earned its place in history as the most valuable private collection of all time.

Auctioneer at Christie's sale with art piece displayed and currency bids shown on screen, audience capturing the moment.
Georges Seurat’s 1888 work Les Poseuses, Ensemble crosses the auction block at Christie’s sale of the Paul G. Allen Collection. The work hammered at $149,240,000. Photo: CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2022

The following evening, an additional 95 works came up for auction, bringing another $115.9 million for work by Alexander Calder, Claes Oldenburg, Coosje van Bruggen, Sam Francis, and more. At the summation of the two-day event, new artist records were set for Thomas Hart Benton, Jan Brueghel the Younger, Paul Cezanne, Henri Edmond Cross, Max Ernst, Sam Francis, Lucian Freud, Paul Gauguin, Barbara Hepworth, Jasper Johns, Gustav Klimt, Guillermo Kuitca, Jacques Lipchitz, Alden Mason, Diego Rivera, Nancy Rubens, Georges Seurat, Henri Le Sidaner, Paul Signac, Edward Steichen, Mildred Thompson, Vincent van Gogh, Andrew Wyeth, and the artist duo Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. Additionally, the sale of John Singer Sargent’s The Façade of La Salute and Paul Klee’s Bunte Landschaft set new benchmarks for a work on paper, while Joseph Kosuth saw a record for a photograph by the artist.

The final tally for the two-part sale was $1.62 billion, all of which will be donated to charity, according to Allen’s wishes. Below, a look at some of the highlights of “Visionary: The Paul G. Allen Collection” at Christie’s.

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Christie’s Auction of the Paul G. Allen Collection Garners $1.6 Billion

Pablo Picassou2019s Quatre Baigneuses sold for $3,420,000, far exceeding its presale estimate of $600,000 to $800,000.

Photograph by CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2022

The top lot of u201cVisionary: The Paul G. Allen Collectionu201d at Christieu2019s, Les Poseuses, Ensemble (Petite version) by Georges Seurat hammered at $149,240,000u2014the highest price ever achieved for any Impressionist or Post-Impressionist work of art.

Photograph by CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2022

Setting a new record for Paul Cezanne was La Montagne Sainte-Victoire, which realized $137,790,000.

Photograph by CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2022

Jasper Johns, Small False Starts, 1960, also set a record for the artist, bringing $55,350,000.

Photograph by CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2022

Far exceeding its early estimate of $6,000,000 to $8,000,000 was White Rose with Larkspur No. 1 by Georgia O’Keeffe, which brought $26,725,000.

Photograph by CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2022

Paul Gauguin, Maternitu00e9 II, 1899, was one of five works to surpass $100,000,000 selling for $105,730,000, more than double the artistu2019s previous auction record.

Photograph by CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2022

Birch Forest by Gustav Klimt realized $104,585,000 in the November 9 sale at Christieu2019s of u201cVisionary: The Paul G. Allen Collection.u201d

Photograph by CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2022

Also surpassing the $100,000,000 mark was Vincent Van Goghu2019s Verger avec cypru00e8s, painted in Arles in April 1888, which achieved $117,180,000.

Photograph by CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2022

A new auction record was set for a work by Andrew Wyeth when the artistu2019s Day Dream (1980) sold for $23,290,000, far outpacing its early estimate of $2,000,000 to $3,000,000.

Photograph by CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2022
Abstract painting of four nude figures in conversation by a blue lake with hills, showcasing hues of blue, brown, and flesh tones.
A pointillist painting of three people in a room, two seated and one standing, surrounded by art and scattered items.
Painting of a colorful landscape with a mountain in the background, featuring trees and green fields in the foreground.
Abstract painting with vibrant colorful brushstrokes and stenciled words in blue, red, yellow, and orange hues.
Abstract painting of white rose and blue flowers with soft, flowing shapes and vibrant colors.
Painting of four people; three standing, one holding a baby, set against a colorful, abstract background with foliage.
Painting of a forest scene with tall birch trees, colorful leaves on the ground, and patches of blue flowers.
Blossoming orchard with a wooden fence and trees in the background, painted in vibrant colors.
Woman lying on a bed under sheer curtains with sunlight streaming through two windows in a serene, softly lit room.
Abstract painting of four nude figures in conversation by a blue lake with hills, showcasing hues of blue, brown, and flesh tones.
A pointillist painting of three people in a room, two seated and one standing, surrounded by art and scattered items.
Painting of a colorful landscape with a mountain in the background, featuring trees and green fields in the foreground.
Abstract painting with vibrant colorful brushstrokes and stenciled words in blue, red, yellow, and orange hues.
Abstract painting of white rose and blue flowers with soft, flowing shapes and vibrant colors.
Painting of four people; three standing, one holding a baby, set against a colorful, abstract background with foliage.
Painting of a forest scene with tall birch trees, colorful leaves on the ground, and patches of blue flowers.
Blossoming orchard with a wooden fence and trees in the background, painted in vibrant colors.
Woman lying on a bed under sheer curtains with sunlight streaming through two windows in a serene, softly lit room.