A red-and-black Mark Rothko painting, *Brown and Blacks in Reds* (1957), sold for US$85.8 million at Sotheby’s New York on May 14, becoming the artist’s second-most expensive work at auction. The canvas came from the collection of Robert Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs partner turned gallerist, and was the star lot of a dedicated 11-lot evening sale that totaled US$166.3 million. The winning bid was placed by Sotheby’s chairman Helena Newman on behalf of a telephone client, with the hammer falling at US$74 million against an estimate of US$70–100 million. The painting was originally owned by Joseph E. Seagram & Sons and hung in the lobby of the Seagram Building, a landmark of corporate modernism designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson.
The sale matters because it reaffirms the enduring strength of the top-tier art market, particularly for blue-chip Abstract Expressionist works, and highlights the continued influence of Robert Mnuchin as both a collector and dealer. The painting’s history—tied to the Seagram Building and the famous Seagram Murals commission, which Rothko ultimately rejected—adds significant provenance and cultural weight. The result also underscores Sotheby’s ability to attract high-value consignments and secure guarantees, with all lots sold in the sale. The near-record price keeps Rothko among the most valuable modern artists at auction, second only to *Orange, Red, Yellow* (1961) which fetched US$86.8 million in 2012.