One of the most important collections of the last century, featuring the works of Surrealists and curated by Pauline Karpidas with the assistance of Alexander Iolas, will hit Sotheby’s auction block in London on 17 and 18 September.Collectively estimated at £60 million ($81.61 million), this is the highest estimated single collection sold by the auction house in Europe.
Adoring the London home of the collector and aesthete Pauline Karpidas, this art collection travels through surrealism in a manner that no other collection in history has done. It is based on no immature shopping but the intellect of Alexander Iolas, the gallerist whom Karpidas persuaded and brought out of retirement to only help her design this collection. Iyolas, who is behind the renown of artists like Magritte and Warhol, worked with Karpidas for decades and acquired pieces from some of the most important auctions in the history of the art market: the prestigious collections of Edward James, William N. Copley, Hélène Anavi, André Meyer, Julien Levy, and the Estates of Man Ray, René Magritte, and André Breton. Speaking about this collection, Pauline Karpidas said,
“I have always seen myself as a temporary custodian for their creations, and it feels like the right moment for the pieces that make up my London home to find their next generation of custodians.”
The artists who made this collection what it is today include Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, René Magritte, and Salvador Dalí, alongside the furniture articles that were rendered by Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne and designs by Mattia Bonetti and André Dubreuil. We have just witnessed the immense value of Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne at the Important Design auction when a life-sized rhinoceros table sold for a record $16.42 million. It will be no surprise if the auction price pushes past the current estimate, similar to how the 2023 auction of Pauline Karpidas’ magical home on the Greek island of Hydra realized a value of more than twice its estimate by Sotheby’s. As Oliver Barker, Sotheby’s Chairman, Europe, puts it,
“There is simply no other collection like that of Pauline Karpidas. From the extraordinary calibre of the artworks to the endless stories of deep friendships and collaborations, this is a window into a special world of boldness, conviction and insatiable curiosity. We look forward to opening our doors in September and sharing the fruits of a journey that started almost exactly 50 years ago with a chance encounter with Surrealist Art.”
Featured Image: Warhol (Detail) | Source: Sotheby’s
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