The art collection of deceased Microsoft (MSFT) co-founder Paul Allen has sold at auction for a
record $1.5 billion U.S.
Christie’s auction house sold 60 works from the Paul G. Allen Collection to wealthy collectors
from around the world. Five paintings broke the $100 million U.S. mark, including the night’s top
seller — Georges Seurat’s “Les Poseuses, Ensemble,” which sold for $149.2 million U.S.
Several other art works sold for three or four times their estimated value, with several artists
setting new records at auction, including Vincent van Gogh and Gustav Klimt.
The sales total of $1.506 billion U.S. broke the previous record for the most expensive art
collection ever sold, which was set by the Harry and Linda Macklowe collection that was
auctioned off for $922 million U.S.
The sales total for the Paul Allen collection will soar even higher when another 95 pieces of art
are auctioned off today (November 10). Proceeds from the auction are expected to go to charity.
Paul Allen died in October 2018 at age 65 from cancer. He co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates
in 1975.
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