SOTHEBYS SETS MAY 2026 AUCTION FOR $130M MNUCHIN COLLECTION

## A Legendary Dealer's Final Act Robert Mnuchin died December 19, 2025 at age 92, leaving behind one of the art world's most coveted private collections. Sotheby's announced this May a selection of works from Mnuchin's collection will emerge at auction, estimated to achieve in excess of $130 million. The consignment marks the end of an era. After a 33-year career with Goldman Sachs, Mnuchin retired to found the Mnuchin Gallery in New York City, becoming one of the art world's rare figures to build two careers at the highest level. ## The Crown Jewel: A Monumental Rothko The sale will be led by Rothko's monumental 1957 canvas Brown and Blacks in Reds, estimated at $70 million to $100 million. Standing nearly 8 feet tall, his 1957 Brown and Blacks in Reds hails from the artist's most important decade, when he developed his signature rectangular bands of color. Sotheby's notes that the canvas is one of just 15 monumental paintings the artist created in 1957, most of which now reside in museum collections. Executed in one of the artist's coveted red palettes, the painting once belonged to Joseph E. Seagram & Sons. ## From Wall Street to Gallery Walls Mnuchin graduated from Yale University in 1955 and joined Goldman Sachs in 1957. At Goldman Sachs, he was a central figure in the rise of block trading in the 1960s and '70s, and by 1978, the Wall Street Journal described him as "the acknowledged dean of block traders". After decades on Wall Street, Mnuchin did something that surprised even close friends: he left finance to open a gallery, telling ARTnews it "took a lot of courage" to step away from the Goldman machine. ## A Collector's Eye for Excellence The consignment is made up of 24 works from the personal collection Robert assembled with his wife Adriana Mnuchin, long known among collectors for its focus on museum-quality examples of postwar abstraction and modern art. Mnuchin once said the couple owned only "10 to 15 pictures," though by his own admission they were works of exceptional quality, kept in their homes rather than in storage. "I'm really a collector at heart who happens to be a dealer," he said in a 2015 interview with ARTnews. They only bought what they both loved, seeking to acquire "A" paintings as they called them - works that represented the finest work by the artist. ## Exhibition Circuit Before Auction A selection of works from the collection are currently on public view in a special exhibition at Mnuchin Gallery from 11-15 March, before highlights travel to Hong Kong, Los Angeles, London, and back to New York for pre-sale exhibition at the Breuer ahead of the auctions this May. According to Sotheby's, the works will be presented in an 11-lot dedicated evening auction in May, with additional works offered in the house's modern and contemporary day sales. For many in the market, the Mnuchin consignment represents exactly the kind of trophy-level material auction houses are eager to secure. ## Beyond Rothko: Masters of Abstraction The sale will also feature works by artists Mnuchin championed throughout his career, including Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, and Jeff Koons, including de Kooning's 1983 Untitled XLII, a lyrical painting making its auction debut. As an art dealer, Mnuchin was particularly known for his long association with Willem de Kooning, with Mnuchin Gallery holding eight exhibitions culminating in "Willem De Kooning: Five Decades" two years ago. ## A Record-Breaking Legacy In 2019, Mnuchin set a record for the highest amount paid for an artwork by a living artist when he bid $91.1 million for Jeff Koons's Rabbit, acting on behalf of hedge fund manager Steven A. Cohen. At evening sales, he was a calm but relentless bidder, his bidding style patient, unshowy, decisive.