The Mellon Collection Fetched Over $150 Million at Sotheby’s

Rachel "Bunny" Mellon Gardening

On November 10th, Sotheby’s, one of the world’s largest brokers of fine and decorative art, auctioned off works from the estate of Mrs. Paul Mellon, one of the great collectors of modern and contemporary art. A number of the pieces in the Mellon collection were expected to go for over a million dollars with some even going as high as $30 million. The array of masterworks in the collection “reveals a unique curatorial vision and true connoisseurship. Ranging from Old Master and Impressionist paintings through the contemporary period, highlights include major canvases by Rothko, Diebenkorn, O’Keeffe and Hopper.” The auction was led by two Mark Rothko paintings that both exceeded expectations: the penultimate Untitled from 1970, which achieved $39.93 million and Untitled (Yellow, Orange, Yellow, Light Orange) from 1955, which went under the hammer for $36.57 million. The “White Glove” evening auction from the collection of Mrs. Paul Mellon totaled $158,737,250, well-exceeding its original estimate of $120.1 million.

The curated selection of fine art ranged from “17th-century still lifes through to masterpieces of the 20th century.” Along with the works of Rothko, the sale also offered three monumental works from American abstract expressionist painter Richard Diebenkorn’s famed Ocean Park series, Old Master Paintings led by Ambrosius Bosschaert’s the Elder’s “Still Life,” and American art including the works of Winslow Homer, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Edward Hopper. “The incredible breadth and depth of Mrs. Mellon’s fine art reveals her ultimate connoisseurship, and an approach to collecting across styles and genres that is increasingly rare.” Rachel Lambert Mellon, the second wife of philanthropist, horse breeder, and National Gallery of Art board member Paul Mellon, was an American horticulturalist, gardener, philanthropist, and art collector who designed and planted a number of significant gardens, including the White House Rose Garden. Mellon, also known as “Bunny” Mellon, passed away in March of this year at the age of 103.

For more information on the “Masterwork” auction, click here and watch a video about “one of the last great private American collections formed in the 20th century” below, courtesy of Sotheby’s YouTube channel.

Video by Sotheby’s/YouTube.com

Photo by nytimes.com 

Written by Derrick Krom

Derrick is a recent graduate of Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia where he received a B.A. in English and Communication Studies. Throughout his life, Derrick has traveled the country and even got to study abroad in London, England for four amazing months. He's a guitar player, avid music fan and lover of literature, film, and all things entertainment.