On 13 May 2025, Sotheby’s Modern Evening Auction opened with high‑octane expectations: Alberto Giacometti’s Grande tête mince (1955)—a rare, hand‑painted bronze bust of the artist’s brother Diego—was billed as “the masterpiece” of the sale.
Estimated at about $70 million and consigned from the Sheldon Solow estate, the sculpture carried no guarantee, banking on the Swiss sculptor’s century‑high cachet to spark a bidding war. Instead, after four minutes of incremental offers topping out at $64 million, auctioneer Oliver Barker pronounced the dreaded words: “passed.”
The house’s crown jewel failed to meet its undisclosed reserve, sending a hush—and then a wave of speculation—through Rockefeller Center’s packed saleroom.
