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 sculpture *Reclining Woman: Elbow* (1981), estimated at $9–12 million, and Henri Matisse’s *Femme au chapeau fleuri* (1923), estimated around $10 million. The collection, built over 60 years, will be featured in Christie’s 20th century evening sale on November 17 and day sales on November 18.
This sale matters because it represents a major, carefully curated modern art collection hitting the market at a time when top-tier works by Léger and Moore have shown strong auction performance. The provenance of the Léger painting—once owned by legendary dealer Douglas Cooper and displayed in his home during a dinner with Picasso—adds historical cachet. The sale also underscores the enduring demand for blue-chip modern masters and the strategic timing of Christie’s fall auctions, which often set market benchmarks for the season.