Mark Rothko Painting Agnes Gund Hung in Her Living Room Sells for $98 M., Setting a Record

A Mark Rothko painting, *No. 15 (Two Greens and Red Stripe)* (1964), formerly owned by prominent art patron and Museum of Modern Art president emerita Agnes Gund, sold at Christie’s on Monday night for $98.4 million (including fees). The work, which Gund purchased directly from Rothko in 1967 and kept in her living room until her death last September, received about a dozen bids before hammering at $85 million to a buyer represented by Christie’s specialist Rachael White Young. The sale broke Rothko’s previous auction record of $86.9 million set in 2012 for *Orange, Red, Yellow* (1961), also at Christie’s New York.

Gerhard Richter ‘Candle’ From Estate of Revered Dealer Marian Goodman Falls Short of a Record at $35.1 M.

A Gerhard Richter painting, *Kerze (Candle)* (1982), from the estate of the late dealer Marian Goodman sold at Christie’s on Wednesday evening for $35.1 million (with fees), falling short of the artist’s $46.3 million record set over a decade ago. The lot, estimated at $35–$50 million, was guaranteed by a third party and drew a hammer price of $30 million after less than two minutes of subdued bidding. Goodman, who represented Richter for decades until he left for David Zwirner in 2022, had purchased the work directly from the artist in 1989 and held it for nearly 40 years. The painting was one of eight Richter works from Goodman’s estate offered in the combined “Marian’s Richters & 21st Century Evening Sale.”

S.I. Newhouse’s Brâncuși Sells at Christie’s for Record-Breaking $107.6 M.

A Constantin Brâncuși sculpture titled *Danaïde* (1913), formerly owned by media magnate and top art collector S.I. Newhouse, sold at Christie’s on Monday night for a hammer price of $93 million, totaling $107.6 million with fees. This set a new auction record for the modernist sculptor, surpassing the previous record of $71.2 million set by another Brâncuși work in 2018. The bronze head with gold leaf and black patina attracted half a dozen bids before selling to a client represented by Maria Los, deputy chairman of client advisory Americas. The work was one of six bronze casts, the only gilded example still in private hands, and had notable provenance, having been purchased by Eugene and Agnes Meyer at Brâncuși’s first solo exhibition in 1914.

Early David Hockney piece expected to fetch thousands at upcoming auction

A rare early artwork by David Hockney, created when he was just 19, is heading to auction at Tennants Auctioneers' Modern and Contemporary Art Sale on June 13. The mixed media piece, titled *Bolton Junction Eccleshill, Bradford*, depicts scenes from Hockney's hometown and is expected to fetch between £7,000 and £10,000. Originally purchased by Hockney's tutor Malcolm Riley at the artist's end-of-year show, the work reflects the perspective lessons Hockney learned at Bradford Regional College of Art. The sale also features works by other notable northern artists, including two drawings by L.S. Lowry, pieces by mining artists Norman Cornish and Tom McGuinness, and ceramics by Pablo Picasso, alongside lots by Damien Hirst and David Bailey.

Banksy’s Girl and Balloon on Found Landscape Sells for $18 Million

Banksy's painting *Girl and Balloon on Found Landscape* sold for $18 million (£13.3 million) at a Fair Warning auction held at Tiffany & Co.'s Landmark store in New York. The 2012 work, which reimagines a traditional pastoral landscape with the artist's iconic balloon motif, was purchased by an anonymous US bidder after a phone battle. The result places it among the three highest auction prices ever achieved for a Banksy artwork, surpassing *Sunflowers From Petrol Station* and trailing only *Game Changer* and *Love Is in the Bin*.

A Large Dalpayrat Jardinière Acquired by Orsay

Une grande jardinière de Dalpayrat acquise par Orsay

The Musée d'Orsay in Paris has acquired a large jardinière (planter) by French ceramicist Adrien Dalpayrat, along with a jewelry coffer by Henri-Auguste Fourdinois. The purchases were made from a sale at Hôtel Drouot by the Thierry de Maigret auction house, where the museum notably did not exercise preemption rights on other works by Jean-Marie Pointu, Eugène Lion, and Paul Jeanneney. The museum justified its inaction by citing the cost of these two acquisitions.

Even More Drawings for Versailles

Encore d'autres dessins pour Versailles

The Palace of Versailles has acquired several drawings during the Paris Drawing Week sales in March 2026, including a rare study by Charles de La Fosse for the royal chapel's dome decoration. The drawing, depicting a reclining nude man for "The Resurrection of Christ," was purchased at the Rossini auction of Paul and Florence Vercier's collection for €3,800. This acquisition adds to Versailles' growing collection of La Fosse works, following earlier purchases of an angel study in 2016 and a ceiling project in 2023.