Art
David Rockefeller’s Estate Sale May Hit $1 Billion
More than 1,500 lots—including rare Picassos, Monets, and Gauguins—from the philanthropist’s collection will go to auction in May.
Henri Matisse’s Odalisque Couchée aux Magnolias (Odalisque Lying With Magnolias), 1923.
Source: Christie's
David Rockefeller kept a $90 million Picasso nude in his living room, wedged between windows that overlooked East 65th Street. For him, art was meant to be lived with, not hidden away.
Rockefeller, the last surviving grandchild of Standard Oil Co. founder John D. Rockefeller, had a long-standing affinity for modern art and spent the better part of a century collecting works by Paul Gauguin, Diego Rivera, Henri Matisse, and others. He was born wealthy, but over time his habit contributed significantly to his personal fortune.