$123 Million Worth of Art From Agnes Gund's Collection Goes to Auction

"Three masterpieces by Mark Rothko, Cy Twombly, and Joseph Cornell from the collection of legendary arts patron Agnes Gund will headline Christie's marquee week in New York this May, where they are expected to bring in at least $123 million all together. Gund, who died in September at age 87, was a force on the New York art scene. The former president of New York's Museum of Modern Art, she was renowned for her art collecting as much as her social justice work."

"It was rare for her to sell works from her collection in her lifetime, and when she did, it was for causes she championed, including reproductive rights and criminal justice reform. Before she died, she made it clear that she had given much of her fortune away-she was said to donate two-thirds of her annual income each year-and most of her art collection was promised to museums."

Three masterpieces by Mark Rothko, Cy Twombly, and Joseph Cornell from Agnes Gund's collection will headline Christie's New York sales in May, expected to fetch at least $123 million. Gund, who died at 87, was a former president of the Museum of Modern Art and a prominent collector and philanthropist who rarely sold works and donated much of her income, promising most of her collection to museums. The sale proceeds will settle Gund's estate. Rothko's No. 15 (Two Greens and Red Stripe), painted in 1964 and acquired from the artist in 1967, is estimated near $80 million.

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