For a while there, the name Bill Gates was synonymous with the term “world’s richest person,” but unsurprisingly, Gates’ co-founder Paul Allen wasn’t short of a cracker either. With an estimated net worth of more than $29 billion when he passed away in 2018, Paul Allen had spent decades gathering one of the finest art collections in history and later this year, much of it is set to go under the hammer at an auction run by Christie’s.
In total, more than 150 different works of art will be sold, comprising masterpieces that reflect five centuries of art history. Allen was an avid art collector for many decades, and in the 1990s he started to share his collection with the world, anonymously loaning pieces from his collection to many international galleries.
One of the highlights of his generosity with his collection was the Seeing Nature exhibit that toured America in 2016, which featured 39 iconic landscape paintings from around the world that celebrated the immense natural beauty of our planet. “You know that all these works are going to outlast you,” Allen expressed at the time, just a couple of years before his untimely death at the age of 65. “You’re only a temporary custodian of them.”
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“To Paul, art was both analytical and emotional,” said Jody Allen, Executor of the Paul G. Allen Estate. “He believed that art expressed a unique view of reality – combining the artist’s inner state and inner eye – in a way that can inspire us all.
“His collection reflects the diversity of his interests, with their own mystique and beauty. These works mean so much to so many, and I know that Christie’s will ensure their respectful dispersal to generate tremendous value for philanthropic pursuits in accordance with Paul’s wishes.”
Guillaume Cerutti, the CEO of Christie’s shared a similar sentiment about the enormity and significance of the collection, expressing how they combine to, “make the sale of the Paul G. Allen Collection an event of unprecedented magnitude.”
“Paul’s life was guided by his desire to make this world a better place. We believe that presenting his collection at auction and giving the opportunity to wider audiences to discover it will be a fitting tribute to celebrate Paul Allen’s vision and legacy.”
While Allen is understood to have donated more than $3.8 billion of his wealth to charity during his lifetime, all proceeds of this upcoming auction will be also dedicated to philanthropic pursuits. In what will be the largest art auction in history, the Paul Allen sale will take place at Christie’s Rockefeller Center in November 2022.
