Peggy and David Rockefeller Auction Revealed In Hong Kong Exhibition

Henri Matisse, Odalisque couchée aux magnolias (1923). Photo: courtesy of Christie's

Highlights from what many have dubbed the sale to watch in 2018, the collection of Peggy and David Rockefeller has been revealed by Christie’s. It will be unveiled in Hong Kong on November 24, which marks the start of a global tour of collection highlights presented by private aviation company VistaJet. The collection will be offered for sale at Christie’s Rockefeller Center Galleries in New York in the Spring of 2018. The collection sale will be the most significant philanthropic auction ever presented, with all the Estate sale proceeds destined to benefit selected charities. The first highlights include masterpieces of Impressionist and Modern Art, including a Rose Period Picasso selected by Peggy and David Rockefeller from Gertrude Stein’s collection (estimate in the region of $70 million), Claude Monet’s Nymphéas en fleur, painted circa 1914-1917 (estimate in the region of $35 million), and a sumptuous 1923 reclining nude by Matisse that is poised to reset the artist’s record high price at auction (estimate in the region of $50 million).

This first exhibition is designed to re-introduce these masterpieces to the world

The Hong Kong exhibition (November 24-27) will be followed by global tours to Christie’s flagship locations in London, Los Angeles and New York, revealing new facets of this multi-category collection with each stop. A robust program of client events including art forums and lecture series will coincide with public exhibitions at each location.

Claude Monet Nymphéas en fleur (ca. 1914-17). Photo courtesy of Christie’s.
Claude Monet Nymphéas en fleur (ca. 1914-17). Photo courtesy of Christie’s

For the first Hong Kong highlights exhibition, Christie’s has selected paintings, furniture and works of art that reflect the Rockefeller family’s wide-ranging interests and intellectual pursuits. Gathered over a lifetime and inherited from previous generations, the Collection reflects the Rockefeller family’s deep, life-long passion for Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Modern works of art, American paintings, English and European furniture, Asian works of art, European ceramics and Chinese export porcelain, silver, and American decorative arts and furniture, among other categories. The Hong Kong exhibition features significant works by Claude Monet, Georges Seurat, Juan Gris, Paul Signac, Edouard Manet, Paul Gauguin, Jean Baptiste Camille Corot, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Edward Hopper, among others.

Marc Porter, Christie’s Chairman, Americas, remarks: “We are delighted to share this first exhibition which is designed to re-introduce these masterpieces to the world after generations of care and stewardship by the Rockefeller family. Our decision to begin the tour in Asia is in keeping with the Rockefeller family’s long commitment and philanthropic ties to the region, dating to John D. Rockefeller, Sr.’s first charitable gift to China in 1863. We look forward to sharing additional highlights of the collection as we proceed with the tour, leading to sales in New York next spring on behalf of the selected charities.”

The spring sales series in New York includes live and online sales. The online sales, which will run concurrently with the live auctions, will offer a selection of accessibly priced objects with estimates starting at $200. Reflecting motifs that run throughout the collection, the online sales will be themed to include Dining; Birds; Bugs and Beasts; Japan; Porcelain: Figurines and Serviceware; At Home: Town; At Home: Country and Jewels.

The sales will be conducted in keeping with David Rockefeller’s pledge to direct the majority of his wealth to philanthropy and provide for the cultural, educational, medical, and environmental causes long supported by both David and Peggy Rockefeller. All the Estate proceeds will be donated to Peggy and David Rockefeller’s charities of choice, directly benefiting the philanthropic missions that have been maintained by the family for decades.

Christie’s

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