Rothko from Robert Mnuchin's Estate Sells for $85.8 M., Leading Sotheby's $433.1 M. Spring Sale
Sotheby's kicks off New York's spring auction season with a robust $433.1M sale led by Rothko's Brown and Blacks in Reds at $85.8 million — a staggering rebound from last year's $186.1 million.
By ZaShqip Arts · 18 May 2025
Rothko Reigns Supreme: Sotheby's Kicks Off New York's Spring Auction Season with a Robust $433M Sale
The May auction season has officially arrived in New York City. Sotheby's kicked off the spring marquee sales at its Madison Avenue headquarters with a solid $433.1 million evening of modern and contemporary art — spearheaded by a breathtaking $85.8 million masterpiece by Mark Rothko.
The performance marks a staggering rebound for the house: the equivalent sale last year crawled to just $186.1 million. Industry insiders left the room feeling confident about the market's stability.
The Mnuchin Estate Sets the Pace
The evening launched with an exclusive 11-lot selection from the estate of legendary New York art dealer Robert Mnuchin and his wife Adriana. It secured a 100% sell-through rate and rang up $166.3 million with fees in just over 30 minutes.
The undisputed crown jewel of the night was Rothko's towering Abstract Expressionist canvas, Brown and Blacks in Reds (1957). Standing over seven feet high, it carried an estimate of $70 million to $100 million. Robert Mnuchin had purchased it at Christie's in 2003 for a comparatively modest $6.7 million. With fees, the final price reached $85.8 million — the second-most expensive Rothko ever sold at public auction.
Blue-Chip Stalwarts Hold the Line
Jean-Michel Basquiat's seven-foot-tall 1983 painting, Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown), led the contemporary portion. It hammered at $45.3 million, coming out to $52.7 million with fees — the fifth-most expensive Basquiat ever sold publicly.
Andy Warhol's Brigitte Bardot (1974) ignited a passionate five-minute bidding war, smashing past its $18 million high estimate to sell for $24.8 million. Willem de Kooning's Untitled III (1975), off the market for two decades, brought in $26 million.
Ultra-Contemporary Market Shows Signs of Life
Rising stars also shone: Ding Shilun's Three Princes (2022) blew past its $50,000-$70,000 estimate to sell for $358,400 — more than doubling his previous auction record. Yu Nishimura's Leaves carpet (2017) closed at $998,400, nearly quintupling expectations. Florian Krewer's night hunters (2022) brought $256,000, nearly quintupling his previous auction record set in London.