Sotheby's London will auction the Lewis Collection, a group of 48 artworks valued at over £200 million, on June 24-25, 2026. Assembled over decades by collector Joe Lewis and his daughter Vivienne Lewis, the collection features works by Modigliani, Degas, Picasso, Magritte, Klimt, Schiele, and Bacon, among others. The sale is led by Modigliani's 'Nu assis au collier' (1917-18), estimated at over £45 million, and includes Degas's 'Petite danseuse de quatorze ans' (estimated £18-25 million) and seven Picassos. The collection will be publicly exhibited at Sotheby's London from June 10-23 before the auction.
The Lewis Collection is notable not only for its financial value—Sotheby's says it carries the highest pre-sale estimate ever for a single-owner collection offered in Europe—but for its thematic focus on artworks that were once considered scandalous or provocative. The Modigliani nude, for example, caused police to shut down the artist's only solo exhibition in 1917, while Degas's ballerina sculpture shocked audiences in 1881 for its hyper-realism. The sale highlights how works that once challenged aesthetic and cultural conventions have become milestones of modern art, and it brings to Europe the highest-value Modigliani ever offered on the continent.