This photo provided by Christie's Images Ltd. 2018 shows Claude Monet's, "Nymphéas en fleur," ("Flowering Water Lilies") painted 1914-1917. The painting, part of the collection of oil-family scion David Rockefeller and his wife Peggy, has an estimate of $50 million to $70 million and will be auctioned auctioned by Christie's Tuesday evening, May 8, 2018 in New York. Rockefeller, grandson of Standard Oil founder John D. Rockefeller, died in March at the age of 101. His family is selling the art collection to benefit cultural, educational, medical and environmental charities. (Christie's Images Ltd. 2018 via AP)
The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) - A collection of artwork put together by billionaire David Rockefeller that includes pieces from Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet and Georgia O'Keeffe brought in more than $646 million on the first night of an auction.
Highlights of the Tuesday sale at Christies included "Young Girl with a Flower Basket," a 1905 painting by Pablo Picasso which fetched $115 million, the second-highest price at auction for the artist.
Paintings by Claude Monet and Henri Matisse also garnered new record prices for the artists. Monet's "Water Lilies in Bloom," completed between 1914 and 1917, sold for a record $84.6 million and Matisse's "Odalisque reclining with magnolias" sold for a record $80.7 million.
Christie's says the proceeds will be distributed to a number of philanthropies Rockefeller and his wife, Peggy, supported in their lifetimes.
Rockefeller was the last surviving grandson of Standard Oil founder John D. Rockefeller when he died in March 2017 at the age of 101.
He and Peggy had been married for more than 50 years. She died in 1996.
The couple amassed a massive collection of art, furniture, ceramics, statuary and decor. The collection also includes items that were passed down from previous Rockefeller generations.
Tuesday's evening sale focused on 19th- and 20th-century art, and also includes works from Paul Gauguin and Georges Seurat.
Art of the Americas will go on the block on Wednesday night. It includes works from Willem de Kooning, Edward Hopper and John Singer Sargent.
Other sale sessions at Christie's will focus on furniture, ceramics and decorations, while an online auction will offer personal mementos, lamps and lighting and tableware.
Among the high-profile items? A porcelain dessert service that Napoleon took with him into exile.
This image provided by Christie's Images Ltd. 2018, shows Pablo Picasso's 1905 painting "Fillette a la corbeille fleurie, (Young Girl with a Flower Basket)," hanging in the library of the Manhattan townhouse on East 65th St., that was the residence of David and Peggy Rockefeller, in New York. The art collection of the oil-family scion and his wife could raise more than $500 million for charity when it is auctioned by Christie's Tuesday evening, May 8, 2018 in New York. The Picasso painting, which has an estimate of $90 million to $120 million, will be sold along with hundreds of artworks including major paintings by Claude Monet, Henri Matisse and works by American artists such as Edward Hopper and Georgia O'Keefe. (Christie's Images Ltd. 2018 via AP)
The Associated Press
This photo provided by Christie's Images Ltd. 2018 shows Pablo Picasso's 1905 painting "Fillette a la corbeille fleurie, (Young Girl with a Flower Basket)." The painting, part of the collection of oil-family scion David Rockefeller and his wife Peggy, has an estimate of $90 million to $120 million and will be auctioned auctioned by Christie's Tuesday evening, May 8, 2018 in New York. Rockefeller, grandson of Standard Oil founder John D. Rockefeller, died in March at the age of 101. His family is selling the art collection to benefit cultural, educational, medical and environmental charities. (Christie's Images Ltd. 2018 via AP)
The Associated Press
This image provided by Christie's Images Ltd. 2018, shows Henri Matisse's "Odalisque couchée aux magnolias," hanging in the Hudson Pines residence of David and Peggy Rockefeller, in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. The art collection of the oil-family scion and his wife could raise more than $500 million for charity when it is auctioned by Christie's Tuesday evening, May 8, 2018 in New York. The Matisse painting, expected to sell for $50 million, breaking the sale record for the artist, will be auctioned along with hundreds of artworks including major paintings by Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and works by American artists such as Edward Hopper and Georgia O'Keefe. (Christie's Images Ltd. 2018 via AP)
The Associated Press
This photo provided by Christie's Images Ltd. 2018 shows Henri Matisse's "Odalisque couchée aux magnolias," part of the collection of oil-family scion David Rockefeller and his wife Peggy, which will auctioned by Christie's Tuesday evening, May 8, 2018 in New York. The painting, which could sell for $50 million, breaking the sale record for the artist, will be auctioned along with hundreds of artworks including major paintings by Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and works by American artists such as Edward Hopper and Georgia O'Keefe. (Christie's Images Ltd. 2018 via AP)
The Associated Press
This undated photo provided by Christie's Images Ltd. 2018 shows oil-family scion David Rockefeller and his wife Peggy. Their art collection could raise more than $500 million for charity when it is auctioned by Christie's starting Tuesday evening, May 8, 2018 in New York. Hundreds of artworks including major paintings by Claude Monet, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, from the collection are being sold to benefit cultural, educational, medical and environmental charities. (Christie's Images Ltd. 2018 via AP)
The Associated Press