Christie’s and Sotheby’s are competing to secure the estate of Emily Fisher Landau, the noted art collector who died in March at age 102. Her collection, valued between $375 million and $500 million, could become a major highlight of the November evening sales, helping offset a sluggish first half for auction results. The Big Three auction houses have seen a 51 percent drop in total sales year-over-year, with Christie’s and Phillips both reporting significant declines.
This potential sale matters because the Fisher Landau collection is one of the premier contemporary art holdings in the U.S., featuring works by Picasso, Rothko, Warhol, and Johns. The auction could provide a much-needed boost to the art market, which has struggled with declining sales. Fisher Landau’s story—starting her collection after a 1969 robbery and later donating 367 works to the Whitney Museum—adds a compelling narrative that may attract high bids and media attention.