Record-Breaking Auction of Masterpieces by Klimt, Matisse, and Freud in London
Sotheby’s has announced that a significant collection of masterpieces by some of modern art’s most renowned figures will be auctioned in London, marking what is anticipated to be the most valuable collection ever offered in the city.
The artworks, consigned by billionaire Joe Lewis and his daughter Vivienne, whose family owns Tottenham Hotspur, feature paintings by Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Amedeo Modigliani, Francis Bacon, Chaïm Soutine, Lucian Freud, and Gustave Caillebotte. Sotheby’s estimates that the collection will realise more than £150 million.
Combined with other works scheduled for sale in June, this event could establish the highest value week of auctions ever held in London.
Significance and Market Impact
Oliver Barker, Sotheby’s Europe chair, told that the collection represents a rare "concentration of museum-calibre masterpieces" and is particularly strong in modern figurative painting.
“Many haven’t been seen on the market for decades – if at all – which speaks to both their rarity and art-historical significance,”
he said, describing the auction as "one for the history books." This sale follows the September auction of the Pauline Karpidas collection, which realised £101 million and became the highest-value single-owner sale staged in London.
Barker noted that the previous auction was "a real turning point" that helped revive confidence in the global art market.
“The sale was tangible evidence that collectors around the world are deeply inspired by collections built from a singular vision, steeped in coherence, rarity, and history,”
he added.
Exhibition and Highlights
Highlights from the Lewis collection will be exhibited in New York and London ahead of the June sales.
Among the leading lots is a full-length society portrait by Klimt, Bildnis Gertrud Loew (Gertha Felsőványi) from 1902, estimated to fetch £20-30 million. The subject was one of Klimt’s patrons, and the painting was stolen by the Nazis upon their arrival in Vienna. In recent years, it has been displayed alongside other Klimt works at the Neue Galerie.
When first exhibited at the Vienna Secession’s Klimt exhibition in 1903, critic Ludwig Hevesi described the painting as “the most sweet-scented poetry the palette is able to create.” Sotheby’s noted that only five major Klimt portraits have appeared at auction in the past 25 years, each exceeding its top estimate.
Also featured is Egon Schiele’s Danaë, painted when the artist was just 19, which exemplifies the skills that defined his style. It is estimated to fetch £12-18 million, potentially breaking the artist’s auction record.
Other notable works include Modigliani’s Homme à la pipe (Le notaire de Nice), unseen for nearly 50 years and estimated at £12-18 million, and a rare double self-portrait by Francis Bacon from 1977, estimated at £8-12 million.
Collector Background and Auction Context
Joe Lewis was born and raised in London’s East End, where he developed a passion for the School of London painters, including Bacon and Freud. This early interest laid the foundation for one of the world’s most significant private collections of modern art, shaped by a fascination with the human figure in all its forms.
Barker described bringing the works to London as a "full‑circle moment," emphasizing that the collection would be presented with "all the care, attention and fanfare that its importance commands."
The June auction follows the sale of four School of London works from the Lewis Collection at Sotheby’s in March, which realised £35.8 million—double their combined low estimate.
A spokesperson for the Lewis Collection stated that the family has always been drawn to art that "reflects what it means to be human," and welcomed the strong response to the March sale as a sign of "the enduring power of figurative painting."
