Summary:
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A few pieces from the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s collection are on display at Christie’s London this weekend.
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Next month, the whole group will be sold in New York.
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The estimated total worth of the more than 150 pieces is $1 billion.
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All the money would go to charity, according to what the late computer magnate and collector had planned.
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The most expensive piece in the collection is La Montagne Sainte-Victoire (1888–90), a Cézanne creation.
A few pieces from the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s collection are on display at Christie’s London this weekend. Next month, the whole group will be sold in New York. One of those pieces is a Paul Cézanne painting with an estimated value of over $120 million (9–10 November).
Twelve pieces are displayed in the public London preview, which runs through October 17. One of these is Les Poseuses, Ensemble (Petite version) by Georges Seurat, which is thought to be worth more than $100 million. Another is the Madonna of the Magnificat by Sandro Botticelli, which is thought to be worth more than $40 million. René Magritte, Wassily Kandinsky, and Lucian Freud are a few further artists mentioned. All of the items in the Allen auctions will be guaranteed, which is something that Christie’s and its rival Sotheby’s are doing more of to get important collections to sell. Next week, it will be evident if any of the Allen projects have received support from outside sources. The sale catalogue, scheduled to be released the following week, will make it all clear, according to Giovanna Bertazzoni, Christie’s vice-chairman for 20th and 21st century art.
The estimated total worth of the more than 150 pieces is $1 billion. All the money would go to charity, according to what the late computer magnate and collector had planned.
The most expensive piece in the collection is La montagne Sainte-Victoire (1888–90), a Cézanne creation. Bertazzoni said, “I don’t think the estimate excludes museums.” Great philanthropists fund several US museums. If it is bought by a well-known collection, it is hoped that it will end up in an American museum. Collectors understand that this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. During his life, Allen often gave his paintings to museums for shows. After he died, his local museum, the Seattle Art Museum, exhibited the best paintings from his collection, and many of them are now for sale.
Bertazzoni adds that Allen was a computer scientist before anything else and described him as a “highly discriminating collector who could wait and did it all alone, without advisers.” He enjoyed creating mathematical paintings. Because pointillism is based on a solid scientific theory, he found it appealing.
Another worry is what will happen to the rest of Allen’s collection, which is being taken care of by his estate. Bertazzoni said, “We do not know what will happen to the rest of the collection.” Before the full preview in New York opens on October 29th, other paintings are scheduled to go on display at Christie’s Paris later this month (20-22 October).
Analysis by: Advocacy Unified Network
