Sotheby's

When Jordyn Woods and Karl-Anthony Towns set out to guest curate the upcoming Contemporary Curated auction, stories and personal connection were top of mind. This ethos is clear throughout the exhibition at #SothebysNewYork, which opens on 2 October. Here, the couple speaks to some of their favorite pieces from the sale, including a work from Rashid Johnson’s Anxious Men series and two portraits by Roy Lichtenstein. As a whole, their curation reflects their belief that art should feel inspiring and hold history. Don’t miss the exhibition for Contemporary Curated featuring the Collection of Robert A.M. Stern on view 2–6 October at the Breuer, with the live auction on 7 October. Plan your visit and register to bid at the link in bio.

Only 22 Sonnerie watches are recorded in the history of A. Lange & Söhne, and this November, one of the rarest and most unique examples will go under the hammer at #SothebysGeneva. Register to bid now >> https://bit.ly/4ysBtb1 Sold in 1914, No. 80'028 is the only pocket watch from the manufacturer known to combine both Grande and Petite Sonnerie with a perpetual calendar, moon phases, and quarter repetition—a true testament to the technical ambition of German watchmaking's golden age. Fresh to the market and preserved as a complete ensemble, the pocket watch retains its original certificate, presentation box, accessories, and documented history tracing it to Munich watchmaker and Court Watchmaker Carl Schmutzer. More than 110 years after leaving Glashütte, it represents the ingenuity, craftsmanship, and ambition that established A. Lange & Söhne among the foremost watchmakers of its era.

On Tuesday, 6th October I am looking forward to chairing a panel discussion in our Geneva gallery on the subject of art and cultural property in the context of divorce, “The Art of Divorce”. I am very happy to be collaborating with Judith Chatoo LLB, TEP, Sirin Yüce and Johan Nauckhoff on this topic. Friends and colleagues in Geneva who would like to attend, please email me at julian.washington@sothebys.com and I will share the invitation.

The most valuable whisky in the world comes to auction, live from The Macallan Estate on 9 October. Bid now >> https://bit.ly/4hzsmOf In 1986, after being aged in a sherry cask for six decades, just 40 bottles of The Macallan 1926 were filled, making it the oldest vintage ever released by The Macallan. In 2023, #SothebysLondon made history when it sold The Macallan 1926 Adami version for a record-breaking $2.7 million. Now, another of the legendary 40 bottles comes back into focus—The Macallan 1926 Fine & Rare. Here, Sotheby’s Jonny Fowle takes us back in time to explore the creation of this rare whisky and its continued influence today.

Today, we’re revealing an unprecedented group of 12 Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, each one a masterpiece with distinguished provenance and rarity. This is ‘Legendary: The Blaquier-Arrieta Collection,’ headlining The New York Sales in November: https://bit.ly/46Rfkag This collection is led by two landmark paintings: ‘Châtaigniers en fleurs’ by Vincent van Gogh and ‘Arlequin’ by Paul Cézanne. Neither has been seen in public for over half a century and both are poised to set new auction records at #SothebysNewYork this fall. The wider group traces the arc of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, including Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s ‘En Canot (Jeune fille à la barque)’—a boating scene painted the year the Impressionists took their name, Camille Pissarro’s grand Parisian streetscape ‘La Place du Théâtre-Français, soleil d’après-midi en hiver,’ and Edgar Degas’s pastel ‘Avant la course.’ Like the great majority of works in the collection, these paintings have never been offered at auction before. A selection of these are on view this week at #SothebysLondon before they embark on a global tour to our galleries in Taipei, Hong Kong, Paris, and New York. Learn more about the collection and register to bid in the November evening auction, presented in partnership with CELINE, at the link in bio.

Unveiled: A treasure from Van Gogh’s final days, not seen in public in over 60 years. ‘Châtaigniers en fleurs’ is the centerpiece of an unparalleled collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces that will headline The New York Sales: https://bit.ly/4z6WLe8 Painted in May 1890 after his release from the asylum of Saint Rémy and just after his arrival to the village of Auvers-sur-Oise (where he spent the last two months of his life), ‘Châtaigniers en fleurs’ has the vigor found in the artist’s greatest works. At this time, Van Gogh experienced a powerful wave of optimism and energy that spilled out onto his canvases in the most urgent and expressive period of his career. Of the remarkable paintings Van Gogh produced in Auvers, only 8 landscapes remain in private hands. ‘Châtaigniers en fleurs’ is poised to set a new record for the artist when it auctions at #SothebysNewYork this November as part of ‘Legendary: The Blaquier-Arrieta Collection.’ The New York Sales is presented in partnership with CELINE.

A defining Italian masterpiece comes home. Nearly 200 years since its creation, J.M.W. Turner’s ‘Rome, from Mount Aventine’ returns to the Italian capital in a special exhibition ahead of its auction at #SothebysLondon this December: https://bit.ly/4hsMxgU The exhibition at Palazzo Rondinini marks the first time this luminous landscape has ever been on view to the public in Rome, a city that captured Turner’s imagination. Bathed in the golden light of dawn, Turner’s Rome is both strikingly modern and unmistakably ancient. See ‘Rome, from Mount Aventine’ at Palazzo Rondinini through 1 October before it embarks on a global tour to our galleries in London, Hong Kong, and New York. It’ll then headline the Old Masters Evening Auction on 9 December. Plan your visit to see this extraordinary work in person at the link in bio. Masters Week is presented in partnership with Qatar Executive.

You’re looking at one of the most significant J.M.W. Turner paintings remaining in private hands. This December, ‘Rome, from Mount Aventine’ will star in Masters Week at #SothebysLondon, where it's poised to break auction records for the British artist: https://bit.ly/4htGUz4 Here, Harry Primrose, 8th Earl of Rosebery, reflects on his personal history with ‘Rome, from Mount Aventine.’ The work was in his family’s collection for 140 years, after his great-grandfather Archibald Primrose acquired the painting in 1878 as a wedding gift for his wife, Hannah Rothschild. ‘Rome, from Mount Aventine’ is on view to the public in Rome for the first time in a special exhibition at Palazzo Rondinini through 1 October. It’ll then travel to London, Hong Kong, and New York ahead of the Old Masters Evening Auction on 9 December. Tap the link in above to plan your visit and register to bid. Masters Week is presented in partnership with Qatar Executive.

This serene painting by Vu Cao Dam hammered to applause at #SothebysHongKong, where it achieved a new record for the artist in The Modern & Contemporary Evening Auction. Totaling HK $28.9 million, ‘Conversation d'élégantes au jardin’ is now also the highest selling work by a Vietnamese artist ever. Painted in 1939 during Vu Cao Dam’s Paris years, this painting is the defining achievement of the artist’s early career. Monumental in scale, the work represents the culmination of Vu Cao Dam’s celebrated silk works. Here, you can see how he transforms this ancient Asian medium into a vehicle for a distinctly modern vision of Vietnamese identity. The Hong Kong Sales, presented in partnership with @celine, continue 29 September with the modern and contemporary day sales. Register to bid at the link in bio.