Sotheby’s will auction off the private collections of Barbara Gladstone and Daniella Luxembourg—a rare glimpse into the private worlds of two of contemporary art’s most influential figures.
More than just a trove of blue-chip names, Gladstone’s tightly curated selection—estimated to surpass $12 million—offers an intimate portrait of her uncompromising eye, her deep artist relationships, and the convictions that shaped her globally recognised gallery program.
“Barbara changed what it meant to live with art—and what it meant to believe in it,” observes David Galperin, Sotheby’s Vice Chairman and Head of Contemporary Art, Americas. “Her collection wasn’t built on trends, but on a lifetime of challenging conventions. Every piece here carries the imprint of her brilliance.”
The sale spotlights works acquired over three decades, many with profound personal significance. Two pivotal Richard Prince paintings—Man Crazy Nurse (2003), a centrepiece of her landmark Nurse exhibition, and a major monochromatic Joke canvas—highlight her early, unwavering support for the artist. A rare Sigmar Polke Rasterbild inscribed to Gladstone speaks to the close friendships underpinning her professional rigour.
These choices reflect Gladstone’s signature duality: the dealer who shaped markets and the collector who lived intimately with the works she championed. Her acquisitions—like her gallery roster—were ahead of their time, blending razor-sharp instincts with unshakable faith in artists’ visions.
For those who knew her, the sale is more than a market event—it’s a tribute. As Galperin notes, “Barbara didn’t just follow greatness; she recognised it early, defended it fiercely, and made sure the world took notice.” This collection is her final lesson in seeing boldly.
The Collection of Barbara Gladstone will be on view at Sotheby’s New York from [dates], ahead of the 15th May auction.
Daniella Luxembourg’s Visionary Collection: A Market-Defining Legacy of Radical Materiality
Daniella Luxembourg, the esteemed dealer and co-founder of Luxembourg & Co., has long championed artists who dismantle the boundaries of form and space. Her collection—a testament to her fearless foresight—brings together post-war masters who redefined materiality, from Fontana’s slashed canvases to Burri’s charred Cretti and Fabro’s sculptural reinventions of Italy’s identity.
“We are all in the art world,” Luxembourg reflects. “But you must take it seriously—if you spend money on it, learn about it.” This ethos has guided her acquisitions, many secured before their creators achieved canonical status. Her pursuit wasn’t merely transactional; it was curatorial, even prophetic. Works like Fontana’s La Fine di Dio—with its visceral, hand-punched holes and glittering, paint-laden surface—were radical gambles at the time. “The slash felt like an impassioned cry,” she says. “The canvas moves with it, terribly dramatic.”
Her collection reads like a who’s-who of market-shaping names: Oldenburg’s playful subversions, Calder’s suspended dynamism, and Scarpitta’s bound canvases, each acquired with a dealer’s precision and a collector’s passion. Many boast illustrious provenances—Calder’s Armada once resided at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and in Claude Berri’s legendary holdings. At the same time, a pivotal Scarpitta came from avant-garde gallerist Michel Durand-Dessert. Luxembourg didn’t just collect; she propelled these artists’ markets, staging monographic shows for Burri, Fontana, and others, cementing their legacies.
What unites these works is their defiance of the picture plane, their insistence on occupying space, literally and conceptually. In her home, Calder’s mobiles floated alongside Fontana’s Concetti Spaziali, while Burri’s cracked surfaces echoed Fabro’s metallic folds. The dialogues were deliberate, the juxtapositions revelatory.
For Luxembourg, the thrill lay in the chase. She set records for Scarpitta, Pistoletto, and Oldenburg, not as a speculator, but as a believer. “These artists weren’t just making objects,” she asserts. “They were rewriting history.” And in securing their most radical statements, so was she.
Top Photo: Richard Prince’s Man Crazy Nurse in Barbara Gladstone’s New York home. Photo Courtesy Sotheby’s
Selections from The Collection of Barbara Gladstone Live Auction: 15 May 2025•18:30 EDT New York
Daniella Luxembourg’s Visionary Collection 15 May 2025 From 7:00 pm EDT New York