The collection of British socialite, collector and art patron Pauline Karpidas will be attacked on the auction area in Sotheby’s London from September 17-18.
The house is described as “the largest collection of surrealism that has emerged in recent history” and includes masterpieces by René Magritte, Salvador Dalí, Leonora Carrington and Max Ernst. The sale is expected to receive £60 million (US$81 million), the highest estimate ever obtained in a single collection of Sotheby’s in Europe.
The collection also includes unique furniture that adorns Karpidas’ London home. After meeting with the late Greek-American gallerist Alexander Iolas, she was inspired 50 years ago, who advanced the careers of Magritte, Andy Warhol and many other famous artists.
“I have been honored to see a world that has been numerous since I entered the art journey and they have made this collection possible, starting with Alexander Iolas, who opened his eyes and was my mentor and many incredible artists themselves,” Capidas said in a statement. “I have always considered myself a temporary custodian of their creations and felt like the right time for my London home to find their next generation of custodians. It is by no means an ending because I will continue to live in art, read books, collect new works and support artists like I have been doing it for many years.”
Sotheby’s Europe President Oliver Barker told Artnews Karpidas “seamlessly fits the legacy of the ‘Grande Dame’ collector and customer who appeared before her, and she will undoubtedly inspire many.”
Buck said that participating in sales has always been one of his “professional highlights.”
“There is no other collection like Pauline Karpidas at all,” he added. “From the extraordinary ability of artwork to endless stories of deep friendship and collaboration, it’s a window into a special world of bold, faith and dissatisfied curiosity.”
Works by Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Niki de Saint Phalle, Tves Tanguy and Dorethea Tanning will also be for sale.
Karpidas, known for building close friendships with many of the artists she collected, was born in a modest house in Manchester, before she moved to Athens in the 1960s, where she met her future husband, the Greek giant Constantinos Karpidas.
In October 2023, Sotheby’s Paris sold works from his home on the Greek island of Couples Island. The two-day auction achieved more than 35 million euros (US$40 million), the highest single-person sales in France that year.
Last year, the centenary of the birth of Surrealism was celebrated (the Surreal Manifesto was published in October 1924). Major programs have been performed in Paris’s Pompidou and Modern Fort Worth Museum of Art, as well as other museums, while auction prices for surreal artists have soared recently. In 2024, Christie sells Magritte L’Empire des Lumières ((Light Empire(1954) auctioned the record of painters in New York for $121.2 million.
Works and furniture from the end of September will be publicly viewed at Sotheby’s New Bond Street Showroom on September 8.
