NEW YORK, NY.- Sotheby’s Modern Evening Auction on November 18 presents an extraordinary selection of works spanning the breadth of Modern art, featuring significant works by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Paul Signac and Franz Marc, alongside remarkable masterworks in sculpture by Alberto Giacometti and Leonora Carrington. For the first time ever, Sotheby’s Modern Evening Auction will also include a spectacular work by Tiffany Studios: The Danner Memorial Window, the most valuable work by Tiffany’s to ever be offered at auction.

Leading the sale is Torse de jeune fille, an early odalisque by Henri Matisse that marks a pivotal moment in his artistic evolution. This work reflects the stylistic transformation Matisse embraced after settling in Nice in 1917, where he would remain for the rest of his life. It showcases his meticulous construction of lavish interiors, with richly patterned elements framing the figure — a hallmark of his celebrated Nice period.

Another highlight is Pablo Picasso’s Buste de femme (1949) ($9-12 million), a poignant portrait of Françoise Gilot, held in the esteemed Neumann Family collection since it was acquired from Picasso’s main Parisian dealer in 1951. Additionally, there is a vibrant masterpiece of pointillism by Paul Signac of Antibes ($6-8 million) as well as Leonora Carrington’s most significant and ambitious sculpture La Grande Dame (The Cat Woman) from 1951 ($5-7 million), emblematic of Carrington’s potent exploration of magic, alchemy and feminine power. The sale will also feature The Danner Memorial Window by Tiffany Studios ($5-7 million), coming to sale for the first time in over 20 years.

Sotheby’s Modern Evening Auction Highlights

Henri Matisse, Torse de jeune fille, 1921–22
Estimate: $12-18 million

The motif of the female nude, particularly of the Odalisque, is one of the most celebrated and enduring themes in Henri Matisse’s work. Torse de jeune fille marks an important early example of the style Matisse developed upon moving to Nice in 1917, where he would remain for the rest of his life. Saturated with the vivid hues and brilliance of Mediterranean light, the rich patterning framing the figure is a quintessential example of the lavish interiors Matisse meticulously fashioned in the backdrops of his work from this period.

Comparable works from this period are rarely seen outside of institutional collections, making Torse de jeune fille a highly coveted painting. A similar subject achieved a record for the artist at auction in 2018, when Odalisque couchée aux magnolias sold for $80.8 million.

Pablo Picasso, Buste de femme, 1949
Estimate: $9-12 million

Painted at the height of Pablo Picasso’s relationship with his partner and fellow artist Françoise Gilot, Buste de femme is a poignant portrait of one of the key figures in his life.

Gilot was 40 years Picasso’s junior, yet already an established painter, when she first met the artist in May 1943. At the time, Picasso was still entangled in a turbulent affair with the Surrealist artist Dora Maar. Yet despite the existing relationship and the tumult of wartime Paris, Gilot and Picasso soon embarked upon a decade-long romance which would profoundly influence Picasso’s artistic output.

After the war, Picasso and Gilot left Paris for the south of France in the summer of 1946, eventually settling in Vallauris where they would raise their two children, Claude and Paloma. The paintings and sculptures from this period reflect a heightened sense of vitality, chromatic richness, and artistic freedom following the turbulence and desolation of the war years.

This painting comes with an illustrious provenance. Never before seen at auction, Buste de femme has been held in the Neumann Family Collection since 1951, when Morton G. Neumann – Picasso’s ‘Favorite American Collector’ as he was known – acquired the work from Galerie Louise Leiris.

Paul Signac, Antibes. La Pointe de Bacon, 1917
Estimate: $6-8 million

Paul Signac’s Antibes. La Pointe de Bacon from 1917 captures the luminous essence of the Côte d’Azur. In 1913, Signac and his partner, painter Jeanne Selmersheim Desgrange, settled in Antibes, marking the start of a prolonged wartime residence on the northern Riviera following his departure from his villa in Saint-Tropez. Antibes. La Pointe de Bacon exemplifies the chromatic richness and compositional harmony which characterize this intense period of artistic growth.

One of fewer than 20 completed compositions from the wartime period, Antibes. La Pointe de Bacon is among the largest of this group that remains in private hands. A masterpiece of Signac’s rarefied wartime oeuvre, this work is being offered at auction for the very first time, having remained in the same family collection for several decades.

Leonora Carrington, La Grande Dame (The Cat Woman), 1951
Estimate: $5-7 million

Steeped in the artist’s rich visual language, La Grande Dame (The Cat Woman) is an ambitious and imposing work capturing the essence of Carrington’s creative exploration in the 1950s, touching on themes of feminine power, mythology, and spiritual symbolism. Appearing at auction for the first time in almost 30 years, it is one of the most valuable works by Carrington to come to auction.

Born from a collaboration with the artist’s friend José Horna, the larger-than-life sculpture is adorned with bright, narrative vignettes painted by Carrington in her rich Surrealist style, echoing both ancient and modern traditions. From her butterfly-like face and placid expression to her balletic arms and long, elegant fingers, La Grande Dame's form includes a rich tapestry of cultural references, including ancient folklore and witchcraft.

It has featured in several notable exhibitions, including the Serpentine Gallery and Tate Modern in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice.

Three Exceptional Works from the Collection of Harry Frank Guggenheim

Sotheby’s will present three remarkable works at auction from the esteemed collection of Harry Frank Guggenheim, the distinguished American businessman, philanthropist, and diplomat instrumental in founding the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. Not only do the works showcase Harry's discerning eye, but they also offer a rare glimpse into one of America's most important collecting dynasties, illuminating the particular and visionary tastes of the man who propelled the Guggenheim family into a new era, where they led the way as global innovators of the visual arts. Acquired by Harry Guggenheim nearly 70 years ago, these works reflect the pioneering taste of a true Renaissance man whose legacy spans art, philanthropy, sport, and beyond.

Throughout his life, Harry devoted himself to philanthropy of great impact and innovative scientific ventures, driven by a belief that wealth should be used to advance the progress of humanity. In keeping with his lasting legacy, proceeds of the sale will benefit The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, which was founded in 1929 and advances groundbreaking research into the problems of violence, such as war, crime and human aggression, through vigorous scholarly inquiry.

Alberto Giacometti, Buste (Tête tranchante) (Diego), 1953
Estimate: $10-15 million

Alberto Giacometti first utilized his brother Diego as a model in 1914 and Diego would go on to become one of the great sculptor’s most significant subjects. By the 1950s, Diego had inspired numerous sculptures that bore a striking resemblance to both Alberto and Diego, lending these works a semi- autobiographical quality.

Soon after its conception and casting, Guggenheim acquired Buste (Tête tranchante) (Diego) and lent it to an exhibition devoted to the artist’s work at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 1955— Giacometti’s first-ever museum exhibition, and also the Guggenheim’s first major exhibition dedicated to sculpture. It was a landmark moment for the artist’s lasting reputation in North America.

Franz Marc, Das Lange Gelbe Pferd, 1913
Estimate: $8–12 million

Franz Marc’s Das Lange Gelbe Pferd (The Long Yellow Horse) from 1913 presents a vivid interpretation of one of the artist’s most renowned subjects. Created on the eve of World War I, the painting captures Marc’s transition from German Romanticism and is one of his final works to depict his most famed subject, that of the horse, before he fully embraced abstraction.

Paul Gauguin, La Femme noire, 1889
Estimate: $700,000-1 million

Executed before the artist’s visit to Tahiti and after his tumultuous visit to Vincent van Gogh in Arles, this ceramic marks a turning point for Paul Gauguin. Gauguin visited the island of Martinique in late 1886, and by 1889, upon his return to Brittany, he created La Femme noire, a rare work in glazed stoneware that showcases the artist’s signature blending of cultural motifs from Western and pre- colonial iconographies. Coming to public sale for the first time, La Femme noire by Paul Gauguin is widely recognized as one of the most important surviving sculptures produced by the artist.

Leonora Carrington, Temple of the Word, 1954
Estimate: $3-5 million

Leonora Carrington’s Temple of the Word (1954) is the most celebrated work by the artist from the 1950s to appear at auction in more than a decade. Temple of the Word is dense with imagery drawn from Mayan cosmology, Irish folklore, alchemy, and medieval scientific texts. Carrington weaves these influences into an otherworldly scene, set against a stormy, mountainous backdrop that echoes the esoteric settings of works by her close friend Remedios Varo. Testament to its importance, the painting was chosen to illustrate the cover of Whitney Chadwick's seminal 1994 monograph on Carrington. The work last appeared at auction in 1993, where it set a record for the artist at that time.

Tiffany Studios, The Danner Memorial Window, executed in 1913
Estimate: $5-7 million

This glass masterpiece – created at the height of the artistic careers of Louis Comfort Tiffany and designer Agnes Northrop – comes from the esteemed collection of Alan Gerry, a long-term connoisseur of American art. The composition of the Danner Memorial Window immerses the viewer in an idyllic landscape, featuring flourishing fruit-laden trees on the banks of a winding, flowing river set against a sunset sky. The scene is further enriched by a field of brilliant red poppies dappled with the last rays of sun. The painterly effects of the window's glass selection rival the supreme works of Impressionist masters, capturing the true essence of light as seen in nature.

The window was designed by Agnes Northrop, who quickly established herself in the 1880s as one of Tiffany’s most trusted artists and leading window designers in a male dominated field.  It is among the most accomplished examples of Tiffany Studios’ major window commissions and represents the most valuable work by Tiffany Studios ever offered at auction, achieving $2 million when it debuted at auction in 2000, a world auction record for a Tiffany window at the time.

Mark Rothko: No. 6, 1947
Estimate: $3-5 Million

Rothko’s No. 6 (1947) is one of several works offered from the collection of American sculptor and painter Herbert Ferber.

It is a powerful example of Rothko’s early Multiforms created during the year he met Ferber. This painting was gifted to Ferber that same year, marking the beginning of a close and intellectually rich friendship between the two artists. No. 6 stands as a testament to their shared exploration of abstraction and philosophy, with Rothko’s expressive layers of color resonating with Ferber’s own abstract pursuits. As one of Rothko’s early forays into his signature style, this painting is an iconic piece that captures the artist’s transition to the large color fields for which he would become renowned.