NEW YORK, NY.- Christie's announced the William I. Koch Collection will headline the 20th/21st Century Art Sales during the November Marquee Week of Sales in New York. The collection features stunning examples by Impressionist masters Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Auguste Rodin and Paul Cezanne complemented by Modern highlights by Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, Joan Miro and Diego Rivera, among others. Works will be offered in the premier sale of the week, the 20th Century Evening Sale as well as the Impressionist and Modern Art Day and Works on Paper Sales. In total, the collection is expected to achieve in excess of $40 million.

The selection to be offered this November represents a rich cross-section of exemplary artworks by European and Latin American masters. A top highlight of the collection is Monet's Champ d'avoine et coquelicots, a picturesque landscape oil painted near his Giverny home in the summer of 1890. With closely related paintings housed in museums including the Art Institute of Chicago; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg; Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Strasbourg; and Smith College Museum, Northampton, this sparkling painting was created during a time when the artist was embarking upon his groundbreaking method of serial painting. In both this series as well as his iconic grain stacks, Monet rendered the same subjects in nature throughout different weather conditions and times of day, effectively capturing the ephemeral effect of the light and atmosphere. Estimated at $12 – 18 million, and acquired by Koch in 1985, the dazzling painting is the leading Impressionist work in the 20th Century Evening Sale.

Paul Cezanne's Tasse, verre et fruits is also a top highlight estimated at $12 – 18 million. Painted circa 1877, the oil painting characterizes the innovative development of Cezanne's approach to still life in the mid-1870s, employing gradations of color and constructive brushstrokes to create a sense of dimension with shapes and color. His favorite subject of apples is complemented by a ceramic cup and patterned wallpaper in this dynamic example of his classic tabletop oeuvre. The work was acquired by Koch forty years ago in 1986.

Additional works from the collection featured in the Evening Sale include Henri Matisse's 1929 oil known as La bayadère, after the classical ballet about a temple dancer in ancient India. Matisse's regally ornamented nude is executed in a daringly modern style and is estimated at $5 – 7 million. Edgar Degas' Scène de ballet estimated at $3 – 5 million is a mixed-media example of the artist's iconic dancer subject, executed in rich pastel covering an underlying monotype—the other impression of which is in the Clark Art Institute, Williamstown. The work was originally acquired directly from Degas by Philadelphia collector Annie Riddle Scott on the recommendation of fellow Impressionist artist Mary Cassatt.

Bill Koch comments, “I feel very fortunate that with hard work, business success, and a great deal of luck, I have been able to collect things that resonate with me. The masterpieces in this sale are among my favorites. I do hope that art lovers around the world can take the same enjoyment as I have, in collecting these works. My hope is that collectors will find something that speaks to their passion and that they are able to share it with their friends and loved ones.”

Vanessa Fusco, Head of Impressionist and Modern Art Department, remarks, “From the dazzling poppy fields of Monet's Giverny to the rigorous construction of Cezanne's apples to the sheer poetry of Miró's unique visual vocabulary, the selection of works being sold trace the evolution of art from the late 19th through the mid 20th century. The incredible successes of Mr. Koch's record-setting sales with Christie's over the last year have been a testament to his connoisseurship and excellent taste. We are certain that this next selection of artworks, which now turn towards Europe and Latin America, will resonate with audiences globally.”

A Renaissance man of the modern era, William I. Koch is an industrialist, a scientist, winner of the America's Cup and more. His lifelong passion for art and culture has been the driving force behind his skill as a collector and has inspired his prize collections of worldclass wine and masterpiece artworks that are internationally acclaimed. In June 2025 his single-owner wine sale, The Cellar of William I Koch: The Great American Collector, achieved $28.8 million and in January his American Art sale, Visions of the West: The William I. Koch Collection, realized $84 million, each far surpassing expectations and establishing new records within their respective collecting category.