Sotheby's will auction 140 lots of art and design from the estate of revered dealer Barbara Gladstone, who died in 2024 at age 89. The sale, scheduled for June 9 during New York design week, includes contemporary works by Richard Prince, Alex Katz, Kai Althoff, and Yayoi Kusama, alongside midcentury modern design pieces by Jean Prouvé, Pierre Jeanneret, and Joaquim Tenreiro. The collection is estimated to bring between $6.9 and $10 million, with a public preview opening June 2 at Sotheby's Madison Avenue headquarters. A prior sale of contemporary artworks from Gladstone's collection in May achieved $18.5 million, exceeding its high estimate.
The sale matters because it reflects the growing integration of art and design in the collecting world, a trend highlighted by Sotheby's chairman Jodi Pollack. Gladstone, a legendary dealer who championed artists like Matthew Barney and Richard Prince, curated a collection that bridges fine art and functional objects, underscoring her prescient vision. The auction also tests the market for high-profile contemporary works and design pieces, with Richard Prince's "Medusa" (2003) estimated at $800,000–$1.2 million and a Jean Prouvé sideboard at $120,000–$180,000, offering insights into collector appetite for hybrid categories.