Sotheby’s has announced the sale of the personal art collection of Enrico Donati, often referred to as the 'last Surrealist.' The 45-lot collection, titled "A Night in May," features works amassed by Donati and his wife Adele, including a rare 1909 Cubist portrait by Pablo Picasso, 'Arlequin (Buste),' estimated at $40 million. The auction marks the first time these intimate pieces—many acquired through direct exchanges with friends like Marcel Duchamp and Yves Tanguy—have been offered since the artist's death in 2008 and his wife's passing last year.
This sale is significant due to the provenance and rarity of the works, particularly the Picasso, which represents a 'generational opportunity' in a market where early Cubist masterpieces are almost exclusively held in museum collections. Beyond the financial value, the collection provides a historical roadmap of the mid-century Surrealist émigré circle in New York. It highlights a period where art was frequently used as a personal currency of friendship and intellectual exchange among the 20th century's most influential avant-garde figures.