Soft market or not, Christie’s, Sotheby’s & Phillips unveil secret‑seller trophies—Basquiat, Warhol, Hockney, Martin—testing New York’s May auction pulse.
One week before the gavels drop, New York’s auction troika is polishing its prize lots and polishing off Champagne while the rest of us check recession headlines.
Behind every headline estimate lurks a flesh‑and‑blood consignor—sometimes legendary, sometimes hush‑hush. We tracked a few down, and the stories are juicier than a Basel brunch.
Dorothea Tanning’s Endgame ($1 M–$1.5 M) resurfaces from the late Harold & Gertrud Parker trove, while Robert Motherwell’s Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 160 ($3.5 M–$5.5 M) hails from vintner‑collector Donald Hess’s storied cellars. And that 1966 Warhol Self‑Portrait ($4 M–$6 M)? All signs point to Zurich dealer Bruno Bischofberger keeping things in the family—until now.
Market mood: Global sales down 12 % (Art Basel/UBS) yet trophy hunger persists.
Tariff jitters: Trump‑era duties toy with shipping costs and nerves alike.
The house answers with Basquiat’s graffiti‑raw Baby Boom ($20 M) consigned by headline‑magnet Peter M. Brant—who also tosses in Christopher Wool’s Helter Helter and John Currin’s Jaunty & Marne. Add the Barbara Gladstone and Daniella Luxembourg caches plus Agnes Martin’s serene Untitled #11 ($2.5 M–$3.5 M) from Aaron Fleischman, and Sotheby’s is essentially throwing a memorial mixer for late market titans.
With fewer eight‑figure fireworks on offer, the evening depends on fresh‑to‑market pedigree—and the allure of bidding against your billionaire neighbor.
Tech philanthropist David C. Bohnett sends David Hockney’s The Twenty‑Sixth V.N. Painting ($2.5 M–$3.5 M) to the block, earmarking proceeds for LACMA. Pair that with Ray & Sally Allen’s post‑war picks, and Phillips positions itself as the feel‑good sale in a jittery season.
Named estates, hush‑hush heirs, and philanthropic flips—all racing into a week that could redefine 2025’s art‑market narrative. Whether prices soar or stumble, the real drama is in the reveal: who sells what, and why now? Buckle up—first lot hits the block in days, and the season’s pulse is about to register loud and clear.
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