Tonight, Christie's will have its Post-War and Contemporary Art auction and the highlights include a 93" x 81¼" Mark Rothko painting, Orange, Red, Yellow, and Jackson Pollock's Lot 22 from 1951.
The works are from the collection of David and Geraldine Pincus, a Philadelphia couple who started collecting on their honeymoon (she spotted Henry Moore at their hotel in Rome). The NY Times wrote in March, "Mr. Pincus died in December, and now Mrs. Pincus is selling a significant portion of her collection at Christie’s in New York on May 8 and 9, including seminal examples of paintings by Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, Barnett Newman and Willem de Kooning: Abstract artists who are all the rage now. The collection is expected to bring a total of about $100 million." Geraldine Pincus explained, "Our foundation"—which raises money for causes like pediatric AIDS, museums and hospital—"needs money."
The estimate for the Rothko is $35,000,000-$45,000,000. Christie's says its the most important Rothko for sale since White Center, which sold for $72 million in 2007. The Pollock's estimate is $20,000,000-30,000,000; the de Kooning included is Untitled I, which was shown at the Museum of Moden Art's retrospective, (estimate $8,000,000 - $12,000,000) and the Barnett Newman, Onement V from 1952, is believed to fetch between $10,000,000 and $15,000,000.
