Contemporary Auction Week: An Oblique Look

Talk about catholic tastes!
Tonight, Christie’s holds the first of four sales of works from the late Allan Stone’s collection, and this opener gives you a taste of how wide-ranging the legendary dealer’s enthusiasms were. Stone is probably best known for his relationship with American modernists from the mid-20th century on, and for sale tonight are a couple of gorgeous de Koonings that Christie’s reckons will fetch about $5 million apiece, as well as plenty of Chamberlains, Cornells, Gorkys, Thiebauds, and Grahams. But the dealer also had a passion for the decorative arts, in particular Gaudi (we reckon this folding screen from the Casa Mila might exceed its estimate of $2.5 million); African tribal art (look out for a fantastic Kongo Nail Fetish, lot 8 tonight); assorted Americana like barbers’ poles, weathervanes, and shop signs; and luxury cars, particularly Bugattis, though there aren’t any of those here tonight.

Antoni Gaudi
Two-part folding screen from Casa Mila (1909)
Est. $1.5–2.5 million