NEWYORK –
About 150 pieces of art from Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen’s collection will be auctioned off at Christie’s in New York this fall and are expected to fetch more than $1 billion in total. , the estate of Christie and Allen announced Friday.
Christie’s said the works being auctioned span 500 years of art history from the Old Masters to the giants of modern art, adding that all proceeds will go to the cause. charity action.
Allen, who co-founded Microsoft with his childhood friend Bill Gates, died from complications of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2018. During his lifetime, he contributed more than $2 billion to the cause. Causes include ocean health, homelessness and promoting scientific research.
Upcoming sale highlights include “La Montagne Sainte-Victoire” by Paul Cezanne, completed in 1890 and estimated to sell for more than $100 million, and Jasper Johns’ “Small False Start” from 1960 , estimated at about 50 million USD. Other details of the artworks being auctioned were not released.
Guillaume Cerutti, chief executive officer of Christie’s, said in a statement, “Paul Allen’s inspirational character, extraordinary quality and diversity of works, and the dedication of all proceeds donated to charity, creating a unique combination that will make the sale of the Paul G. Allen Collection an unprecedented event.”
Jody Allen, Allen’s sister and executor of his legacy, said, “These works mean so much to so many people, and I know that Christie’s will ensure a scattering of respect. their importance to create great value for philanthropic activities in line with Paul’s wishes.”
