Walk the auction: your guide to Christie’s 20th and 21st Century Art sales in New York this May

Christie’s 20th and 21st Century auctions offer a sweeping view of modern and contemporary art, from the radical experiments of Impressionism to the cutting edge of today. This May, masterpieces by Jackson Pollock, Constantin Brancusi, Mark Rothko, Roy Lichtenstein, Gerhard Richter and more lead the sale series, tracing more than a century of formal invention, rupture and reinvention.

Many of the season’s leading works hail from distinguished collections, including those of S.I. Newhouse, Agnes Gund, Marian Goodman, Lorinda Payson de Roulet, Marilyn Arison, Joanna Carson and Henry S. McNeil, Jr., reflecting the vision of collectors and patrons whose commitments helped define the course of 20th- and 21st-century art.

How to visit

A broad selection of works will be on view at Christie’s iconic Rockefeller Center galleries from 9–21 May. The exhibition is free and open to the public daily from 10:00am to 5:00pm, except on Sunday 10 May, when the galleries open at 1:00pm, and Thursday 21 May, when they close at 2:00pm. Stop by Christie’s Café for a coffee or tea while exploring the exhibition. You can also browse highlights here.

What’s on

From 9–22 May, Christie’s 20th and 21st Century sale week comprises seven live auctions and two online sales.

MASTERPIECES: The Private Collection of S.I. Newhouse
Monday 18 May, 6:30pm ET

The evening of Monday 18 May begins at 6:30pm ET with MASTERPIECES: The Private Collection of S.I. Newhouse, led by Constantin Brancusi’s Danaïde (1913) and Jackson Pollock’s Number 7A, 1948. Bringing together 16 masterpieces by artists including Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso and Jasper Johns, the sale offers a rare glimpse into the most personal chapter of one of the most influential collections of the past century.

20th Century Evening Sale
Monday 18 May, 7:00pm ET

The 20th Century Evening Sale continues the night’s focus on works of exceptional provenance and art-historical importance. Featured are three masterworks from the collection of Agnes Gund — Mark Rothko’s No. 15 (Two Greens and Red Stripe), acquired directly from the artist in 1967, Cy Twombly’s Untitled from 1961 and Joseph Cornell’s Untitled (Medici Princess). Also featured is Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s La femme aux lilas (Portrait de Nini Lopez), held in the collection of Lorinda Payson de Roulet’s family since 1929 and among the most important Renoirs to come to market in decades. Further highlights include major works by Alice Neel, Roy Lichtenstein, Joan Mitchell, Georgia O’Keeffe and Amedeo Modigliani.

Impressionist and Modern Works on Paper Sale
Tuesday 19 May, 10:00am ET

Highlights from the Impressionist and Modern Works on Paper Sale include Edgar Degas’s Quatre danseuses à mi-corps (1889) and Pablo Picasso’s Homme et Femme (1964) both from the collection of Joanna Carson which were acquired together with her husband at the time, the legendary television host Johnny Carson. The sale also features important works on paper by prominent artists such as Constantin Brancusi, Joan Miró, René Magritte, Marc Chagall, Egon Schiele and more.

Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale
Tuesday 19 May, 2:00pm ET

The day continues at 2:00pm ET with the Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale, offering a rich cross-section of works from the major artistic currents of the late 19th and 20th centuries. Among the highlights are paintings by Pierre Bonnard, Marc Chagall, Gabriele Münter, Henri Matisse, Picasso and Renoir; sculptures by Jean Arp, Alexander Archipenko, Marino Marini and Auguste Rodin; and watercolours by American artists Winslow Homer and Andrew Wyeth.

Defined Space: The Collection of Henry S. McNeil, Jr.
Wednesday 20 May, 7:00pm ET

Wednesday evening begins with one of the most distinguished collections of Minimalism in private hands. Defined Space: The Collection of Henry S. McNeil, Jr. features 12 works including Donald Judd’s Untitled (1969), an iconic stack in copper and red Plexiglas, and the first edition of Dan Flavin’s the diagonal of May 25, 1963 (to Constantin Brancusi). Alongside works by Carl Andre, Sol LeWitt and their peers, the sale reflects the singular vision of a collector who lived with rare beauty, clarity and conviction.

Additional highlights from the McNeil collection will be offered in the Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale and Design sale this June, with further auctions continuing through 2026.

Marian’s Richters & 21st Century Evening Sale
Wednesday 20 May, 7:30pm ET

This sale pairs an exceptional selection from Marian Goodman’s private collection with a broader group of masterworks from the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Led by Gerhard Richter’s Kerze (510-1) (1982), eight remarkable paintings acquired by Goodman directly from the artist at defining moments in his practice offer a powerful view of Richter’s achievement through the eyes of the gallerist who did so much to champion his work. Additional highlights from the sale include Cecily Brown’s Bedlam Vacation (2005), Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Asbestos (1982) and and Keith Haring’s Untitled (June 1st A Milano) (1984).

Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale
Thursday 21 May, 10:00am ET

Highlights this morning include works by Joan Mitchell, Wayne Thiebaud, Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, George Condo, Banksy and Richter. The auction also features property from exceptional private and public collections, including additional works from the Goodman and McNeil collections, as well as Between Madness and Beauty: Selections from the Anna Condo Collection, A Matter of Seeing: Property from a Distinguished Collection, the Edlis | Neeson Collection, Figure & Form: The Diane and David Goldsmith Collection and Lasting Impression: The Collection of Marilyn Arison.

Meanwhile, Picasso Ceramics and Breaking Ground: The Private Collection of Marian Goodman Part I are open for bidding online from 8–22 May.

How to watch

Tune in from anywhere in the world for a high-definition livestream on Christie’s YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram, broadcasting live from our Rockefeller Center salerooms.

For real-time results and live updates throughout the sales, follow Christie’s LIVE on Christies.com.

Tickets are required to attend live sales in person, and seating in the saleroom is reserved for select registered bidders.

How to bid

Whether attending in person or bidding online from home, buying art at Christie’s is more seamless and accessible than ever. To bid in the auction or follow results in real time, visit Christie’s LIVE on Christies.com.

Learn more about how to create an account, discover works you love, register and bid.

Don’t miss…

Post-war abstraction worth sinking into

Masterworks by Pollock, Rothko, Twombly and Richter show abstraction at its most radical, immersive and inventive. Pollock’s Number 7A, 1948 marks a decisive break with the conventions of easel painting, while Rothko’s No. 15 (Two Greens and Red Stripe) reveals the meditative intensity of his mature style. Twombly’s Untitled channels myth, gesture and painterly force into a dense, restless surface, and Richter’s abstractions from Marian Goodman’s collection and an exceptional Cecily Brown extend that story into the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Sculpture to take in from all angles

From Picasso and Brancusi to Duchamp, Judd and Flavin, the sales chart some of the most decisive shifts in the history of sculpture. Picasso’s Tête de femme (Fernande) (1909) translates Cubism into sculptural form, breaking the head into a new language of planes, volume and space. Brancusi’s Danaïde, by contrast, distils the figure into something radically simplified and refined, embodying the artist’s search for an essential, timeless form. With Marcel Duchamp’s In Advance of the Broken Arm (1915), the readymade enters the field and the very definition of sculpture begins to change. That spirit of reinvention continues in Judd and Flavin’s works.

Pop Art worthy of a double take

Lichtenstein’s Anxious Girl (1964) and Warhol’s Double Elvis [Ferus Type] (1963) lead a strong showing of Pop across the sales, joined by works by Claes Oldenburg, Thiebaud and others. Lichtenstein’s painting is a quintessential example of his iconic ‘girl’ pictures, with its Benday dots, cropped composition and comic-book drama. Warhol’s doubled Elvis, meanwhile, turns celebrity into a cool, spectral, serial image, crystallising the artist’s enduring fascination with fame, repetition and the power of mass media.