Phillips has unveiled the lineup for its upcoming Modern and Contemporary art sales in London, scheduled for March 5 and 7. The auctions are headlined by a significant group of Scandinavian masterworks from the collection of former US Ambassador John L. Loeb, led by Vilhelm Hammershøi’s "Interior of Woman Placing Branches in Vase on Table" (1900), estimated at up to £2 million. Other major highlights include a rare Andy Warhol "Mao" painting, a Banksy work formerly owned by Robin Williams, and pieces by Tracey Emin, El Anatsui, and Donald Judd.
This sale reflects a growing market and institutional appetite for Scandinavian Modernism, coinciding with several major museum retrospectives across Europe and the US. By positioning these Nordic works alongside blue-chip contemporary names like Emin and Warhol, Phillips is capitalizing on the trend of "cross-category" collecting. The inclusion of works from prestigious private European and Belgian collections further signals the auction house's strategy to maintain London's status as a critical hub for high-value international art transactions.