Christie’s held two evening sales on Monday—the S.I. Newhouse collection and a 20th-century art sale—that together generated $1.1 billion across 64 lots. The Newhouse tranche alone made $630.8 million, bringing the cumulative total of the collection to over $1 billion, making it likely the most expensive collection ever sold at auction after Paul Allen’s $1.7 billion blockbuster. Top lots included Jackson Pollock’s *Number 7A, 1948* at $181.2 million (the fourth most expensive painting ever sold at auction), Constantin Brâncuși’s *Danaïde* at $107.6 million, and a Mark Rothko work at $98.4 million.
The sale revealed more about the market below $20 million, where bidding depth was strong—a contrast to the highly choreographed auctions of recent years. The results demonstrated the growing strength of the U.S. art-buying public, especially from the western region, while European and Asian representatives were largely absent except at lower price points. Works fresh to the market outperformed those that had been traded recently, and the Newhouse collection’s success underscores the enduring demand for trophy estates assembled by legendary collectors.