A painting by Amedeo Modigliani, estimated to sell for around £45 million, is among the highlights of an upcoming Sotheby's auction. The auction house has unveiled the Lewis Collection, comprising 48 works expected to fetch more than £200 million – the highest estimate ever for a single-owner collection offered at auction in Europe.
The Lewis Collection
The collection will be exhibited before going under the hammer later this month. It features masterpieces by artists such as Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Gustave Caillebotte, Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon, and Chaim Soutine.
A Modigliani nude, titled Nu assis au collier (1917), is anticipated to exceed £45 million. This painting was last auctioned in 1995 and has not been seen in the UK since 1938. It was part of the artist's first and only solo exhibition in Paris, which caused a scandal and was shut down by police on its opening day due to the nude works. Over the years, it has been displayed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, and The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Notable Works
Other significant pieces include Lucian Freud's Sleeping By The Lion Carpet, estimated at £25–35 million, and Edgar Degas' Petite Danseuse de quatorze ans, expected to fetch up to £25 million. Seven works by Pablo Picasso are also part of the collection, including his 1938 portrait Buste de femme, valued at £12–18 million. René Magritte's 1965 piece La belle promenade and Francis Bacon's Study for Portrait (1976) are also included.
Expert Commentary
Oliver Barker, Sotheby's European chairman, remarked: “When we look at the Lewis Collection today, we see works of enormous power and beauty – so much so it can be easy to forget that, at the time they were created, many of these works sent shockwaves through the art world and polite society. The Lewises have always had an instinctive understanding of what made a work of art sensational in the true sense of the word, which is why, in this collection, we have not only one of the greatest groups of figurative art ever assembled, but also a collection that charts the highpoints of invention – the radical moments that changed the evolution of art as we know it.”
He added: “From Degas and Modigliani to Picasso and Freud, this group of works brings together some of the most powerful, most revolutionary, and most beautiful achievements in 20th-century figurative art. Having witnessed the Lewises build this collection with such care and passion over the years, it is a privilege to now see these works presented together, a testament to the remarkable coherence of the vision they have pursued for decades.”
Exhibition and Auction Details
Masterworks from the Lewis Collection will be on public view until June 23 at Sotheby's London, with the auction taking place from June 24 to 25.
