Sotheby’s to Sell the Most Valuable Collection in London
In June, the British billionaire Joe Lewis will sell a collection encompassing works by the likes of Gustav Klimt, Henri Matisse and Lucian Freud
Lucian Freud, Woman in a Grey Sweater (1987-88). Courtesy Sotheby's
In June, the British billionaire Joe Lewis will sell a collection encompassing works by the likes of Gustav Klimt, Henri Matisse and Lucian Freud at Sotheby’s. The auction house claims that it will be the most valuable staged in London, and estimates that the total works will sell for between £150m and £200m.
Highlights from the collection will be shown in New York and London before the June sales. Many works have not been seen on the market for years.
Alongside the aforementioned artists, the collection includes paintings by others such as Amedeo Modigliani, Chaïm Soutine and Francis Bacon. Highlights range from a 1936 drawing of Dora Maar by Pablo Picasso, estimated to sell for £600,000-£800,000, to Gustav Klimt’s society portrait Bildnis Gertrud Loew (1902), estimated to sell for an outstanding £20-30m.
The work carries both art-historical and restitutional significance, having been seized during the Nazi era before later reemerging in circulation. Works of this calibre rarely appear on the market, and when they do, they often exceed expectations. Each of the five major Klimt portraits which have come to auction in the past 25 years have exceeded their top estimates, according to Sotheby’s.
The event follows last September’s record sale of the most valuable single-owner collection to be sold in the UK. This was the Pauline Karpidas collection, which made £101m. Such auctions as these are important signs that London’s once-lagging art market is gaining more confidence.
Related content
News
V&A Workers Set to Strike Despite Hydration Break Concession
Staff at the museum’s new East Storehouse have attacked museum management about access to water and toilets during shifts, while a wider dispute over pay and working conditions looks set to roll on through the summer
.jpg%3F2026-08-14T11%3A19%3A23.683Z&w=3840&q=100)
ICOM-US Backs Smithsonian Against Trump Pressure
ICOM-US has joined the American Alliance of Museums in defending the Smithsonian, weeks after its parent body strengthened its rules on museum independence
Aperture Reveals Programme for New Permanent New York Home
The photography publisher will open its 10,000 sq ft Upper West Side headquarters in September, four years after announcing plans for the permanent space
Elvira Dyangani Ose to Lead Zeitz MOCAA After Koyo Kouoh
The former MACBA director will take charge of the Cape Town museum’s artistic programme as it enters its first new chapter since the death of Koyo Kouoh
Sid Motion Gallery to Close After Ten Years in London
The South Bermondsey gallery will close this autumn, with founder Sid Motion saying its financial position no longer allows it to support its artists
Valerie Hillings to Lead Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
The North Carolina Museum of Art director returns to the project she helped shape for almost a decade ahead of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's opening in December
Francisco Correa Cordero, Founder of Lubov, Dies
The Mexico City-born dealer founded New York gallery Lubov in 2016, building a reputation for championing emerging artists and experimental practices
Basquiat Works at Centre of Vancouver Fraud Lawsuit
A multimillion-dollar art collection including works by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Javier Calleja is at the centre of an ongoing lawsuit linked to the collapse of Vancouver property developer Coromandel Properties
Campaigners Fight to Keep CCA Archive Intact
Creative Scotland is exploring ways to preserve the archive of Glasgow's former Centre for Contemporary Arts after campaigners warned the collection should not be treated as a liquidatable asset
.JPG%3F2026-08-03T13%3A56%3A07.102Z&w=3840&q=100)
Royal Museums Greenwich Workers Vote to Strike
Prospect union members will strike on 11 and 12 August over pay and working conditions
Trump Orders Smithsonian Signage to Warn of Political Bias
The White House alleges that the Smithsonian and the NMAH “have directed the museum’s mission... toward extreme political activism, rooted in Marxism, to divide, dispirit and discourage Americans”
Gagosian Scales Back in London and Basel
The exits are the latest in a series of mega-galleries downsizing, including Pace’s layoffs earlier this year and David Zwirner’s Manhattan departure
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter
Intel on the art market. Straight to your inbox.
