Late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen\’s collection of artworks at auction

‘I ask a lot of questions, because I’m always looking for connections between different topics that aren’t necessarily obvious, but that might help us see our world differently, or understand it better’

Paul G. Allen

All of us are constrained by the passage of time and are affected by the rules of the day. But it is the uncommon innovators who lead us into the future. Since the earliest cave drawings, mankind has used art to examine its relationship with the outside world, and throughout thousands of years, several creative disciplines have developed due to the persistence of individuals who defy societal expectations.

Paul G. Allen was a pioneer in understanding how innovative thinkers lead technology. Mr. Allen, a co-founder of Microsoft, was known for his intelligence and insatiable curiosity. Along with his contributions to the field of computing, he was a passionate philanthropist, accomplished musician, ocean explorer, owner of two professional sports clubs, and an enthusiastic art collector. He set out to address complex problems, reevaluate the potential benefits of technology, and, above all, persistently challenge the status quo through his many endeavours.

Through his unique viewpoint, Mr. Allen created a collection of art of unparalleled calibre that will be sold at Christie\’s New York\’s “Visionary: The Paul G. Allen Collection” auction in November 2022. The collection traces the revolutionary spirit of outstanding artists across 500 years of history, from renowned Old Masters and groundbreaking Impressionists to pioneers of post-war abstraction and trailblazers at work today.

Allen’s collection also includes many masterworks by artists who redefined the subject like Paintings by Paul Cezanne, Georges Seurat and Lucian Freud. The \’Paul Allen Collection\’ is considered the most expensive collection ever to go under the hammer. The collection of more than 150 items, which covers 500 years of art history from Sandro Botticelli to David Hockney, has been called \”the sale of this century\” by auction house Christie\’s.

The two main attractions are \”La Montagne Sainte-Victoire\” by Cezanne and \”Les Poseuses, Ensemble (Petite Version)\” by Seurat, which have estimated prices of over $120 million and $100 million, respectively. Other notables from his collection include a triptych by Francis Bacon titled \”Three Studies for Self-Portrait\” with a price tag of $25 million, a painting by Freud titled \”Large Interior, W11 (after Watteau)\” with an estimated price of $75 million, and a Madonna of the Magnificat by Botticelli that could bring in more than $40 million. Price ranges for \”Queen Anne\’s Lace Near Kilham\” by Hockney is $8–12 million, while for \”Femme de Venise III\” by Alberto Giacometti is $15–20 million as reported by Reuters.

The collection will be sold in two parts at Christie in New York on Nov. 9-10.