Marlene Dumas's painting *Miss January* (1997) will be auctioned at Christie's New York on 14 May with an estimate of $12–18 million, sourced from the collection of Mera and Don Rubell, founders of the Rubell Museum. The work is expected to surpass the current auction record for a living woman artist, held by Jenny Saville's *Propped* (1992) which sold for £9.5 million in 2018.
This sale matters because it would set a new benchmark for female artists at auction, highlighting persistent gender disparities in the art market while also reflecting Christie's ability to secure major consignments despite a softening market. The painting's provocative subject matter and Dumas's established reputation underscore ongoing conversations about the valuation of women artists and the market's appetite for challenging figurative work.