Sotheby's has announced the consignment of Roy Lichtenstein's painting *The Ring (Engagement)* (1962) for its May 12 spring contemporary evening sale in New York, with an estimated price of around $50 million. The work, one of the largest from Lichtenstein's iconic 1961–1964 comic-book-inspired series, has had only two owners in its 53-year history, most recently from the collection of Chicago philanthropist Stefan Edlis, who acquired it at Sotheby's in 1997 for $2.2 million.
The sale tests the market for Lichtenstein's work near the artist's current auction record of $56.3 million, set in 2013. The painting's pristine provenance—passing from legendary dealer Ileana Sonnabend to antiques dealer Jean Marie Rossi, then to Edlis—and its inclusion in major museum exhibitions (Tate, Fondation Beyeler, Tate Modern, Art Institute of Chicago, Centre Pompidou) add to its appeal. The result could signal continued strength in the blue-chip postwar market.