Christie’s will sell over 70 works from the collection of Arnold and Joan Saltzman during its fall marquee sales in November, with a group estimate exceeding $70 million. The modern art collection includes pieces by Pablo Picasso, Fernand Léger, Edvard Munch, František Kupka, Robert Delaunay, Henri Matisse, and Henry Moore. The top lot is Léger’s 1914 painting *Composition (Nature Morte)*, estimated around $20 million, from his celebrated 'Contraste de formes' series. Other highlights include Henry Moore’s bronze *Reclining Woman: Elbow* (1981), estimated at $9–12 million, and Henri Matisse’s *Femme au chapeau fleuri* (1923), estimated around $10 million. The collection was assembled over 60 years and will be featured in Christie’s 20th century evening sale on November 17, with additional lots in day sales on November 18.
The sale matters because it represents a major single-owner collection of modern masters hitting the market at a time when top-tier works continue to command strong prices. The Léger painting, with its distinguished provenance—purchased in the 1980s from legendary dealer and collector Douglas Cooper, who had owned it since the 1930s—could set a benchmark for the artist’s work. The collection also includes rare pieces like a painting by Wilhelm Morgner, who died in World War I, and a pair of portraits by Robert Delaunay and Jean Metzinger, offering depth beyond the headline lots. The sale underscores the enduring appeal of blue-chip modern art and the importance of provenance in driving value.