The private collection of legendary collector and patron Pauline Karpidas, featuring masterworks by Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, and Les Lalannes, will be auctioned at Sotheby’s London this September. Spanning 250 lots from her eccentric London home, the collection is expected to fetch over £60 million ($81 million), the highest estimate ever placed on a single collection at Sotheby’s Europe. Karpidas, who has collected for 50 years and supported artists like Damien Hirst and Tracy Emin, sees herself as a temporary custodian and is passing the works to a new generation.
This sale matters because it represents one of the most significant single-owner auctions in European history, reflecting the enduring influence of a visionary collector who blended historical masterpieces with contemporary art and design. Karpidas’s collection, which includes works by Warhol, Picasso, and the Lalanne sculptors, also highlights the role of patrons in shaping art history. The auction follows a record-breaking sale of works from her Hydra home in 2023, underscoring the strength of the high-end art market and the continued appeal of trophy collections.