Sotheby’s auction house mogul Harry Macklowe’s collection on Monday in New York set a record for $ 676 million in total. The most expensive work of art that evening was Mark Rothko’s painting “No. 7”, which was sold for $ 82.5 million to an unknown buyer from Asia who was hooked up on the phone.
Alberto Giacometti’s sculpture “The Nose” sold for 78 million dollars that evening, and the “Nine Marilyns”, Andy Warhol’s famous picture made shortly before the death of actress Marilyn Monroe, for 50 million dollars. “Number 17, 1951”, a work by Jackson Pollock, also fetched 61 million dollars, the highest hammer price ever offered for a picture by the American artist. The numerous commandments from Asia were striking, and Giacometti’s bronze also went to Asia. The fact that such a large number of important works were auctioned is due to the divorce from Harry and Linda Macklowe. The court ordered three years ago that the collection should not be split up but sold. A total of 65 works of art will come onto the market, and another thirty works will be auctioned in May of next year.