Sotheby's held a landmark evening auction on November 8 featuring 31 works from the collection of Emily Fisher Landau, a noted art patron who amassed around 1,200 works over 102 years. The sale achieved $406.4 million, surpassing its pre-sale estimate of $344.5–$430.1 million and becoming the most valuable auction dedicated to a female collector in history. Highlights included Pablo Picasso's *Femme à la montre* (1932), which sold for $139 million—the second-highest price for a Picasso at auction—and record-breaking results for Agnes Martin's *Grey Stone II* ($18.7 million), Mark Tansey's *Triumph Over Mastery II* ($11.8 million), and Jasper Johns's *Flags* (1986) ($41 million). Other notable sales included works by Cy Twombly, Ed Ruscha, and Andy Warhol's portrait of Landau.
The sale matters because it demonstrated resilience in a volatile art market, following a challenging summer and fall. The white-glove result—selling every lot—reinforced the strength of single-owner collections, echoing the success of the Sam Josefowitz collection at Christie's. It also underscored the enduring appeal of blue-chip modern and contemporary artists, with Asian bidders actively participating. The auction's record-breaking status for a female collector highlights the growing recognition of women as major forces in art patronage and collecting.