Christie's held a record-setting evening sale on May 18, 2025, that generated over $1 billion, featuring a promotional video starring Nicole Kidman. Jackson Pollock's drip painting "Number 7A, 1948" sold for $181.2 million, nearly tripling the artist's previous auction record, while Constantin Brancusi's bronze bust "Danaïde" (c. 1913) fetched $107.6 million, becoming the second most expensive sculpture ever sold. The works came from the collection of late magazine magnate S.I. Newhouse, and a Rothko from Agnes Gund's collection also set a new artist record at $98.4 million.
The sale underscores the enduring strength of the ultra-high-end art market, with private collections achieving billion-dollar totals. Newhouse's collection surpassed $1.05 billion in cumulative sales, making it the second most valuable private collection ever sold at auction, after that of Paul Allen. Christie's use of a Hollywood celebrity like Kidman in promotional materials highlights the increasing convergence of pop culture and high-stakes art auctions to attract global attention and drive record prices.