Billionaire hedge funder and art collector Kenneth Griffin revealed he was the buyer of record-breaking copies of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment, both signed by President Abraham Lincoln, at a Sotheby's New York auction. The Thirteenth Amendment sold for $13.7 million, more than five times the previous record, while the Emancipation Proclamation fetched $4.4 million. Griffin, founder of Citadel, is an avid collector of rare historical documents and high-value art, having previously purchased a copy of the U.S. Constitution for $43.2 million and major works by artists like Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
This acquisition underscores the convergence of extreme wealth, historical artifact collecting, and the art market, with Griffin's purchases setting multiple auction records. It highlights the role of billionaire collectors in shaping the market for both art and historical documents, as well as their influence on cultural institutions through donations and loans. The sale also reflects ongoing debates about the privatization of national heritage and the political dimensions of collecting, given Griffin's substantial political donations.