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Christie's generated $1.1 billion in sales across two auctions held on the same evening in New York, marking one of the highest single-night totals in the house's history.
The figure was reached in two stages: a first session that produced more than $630 million in under 40 minutes, followed by a second sale that added another $490 million.
The evening's first session centered on 16 works from the collection of S.I. Newhouse, the late media mogul and former owner of Conde Nast.
Christie's had previously offered portions of the Newhouse collection at auction; Monday's sale represented its most concentrated presentation to date.
The highest price of the night went to Jackson Pollock's "Number 7A, 1948," which sold for $181.2 million with fees. The result set a new auction record for the artist, surpassing the $61.2 million achieved for his "Number 17, 1951" in 2021.
Christie's described the work, a large-scale canvas featuring black poured lines and red accents, as one of the first truly abstract paintings in art history and a pivotal piece in Pollock's career. The sale places Pollock among the highest-selling artists ever at auction.
Also from the Newhouse collection, Constantin Brancusi's bronze bust "Danaide" sold for $107.6 million, surpassing the sculptor's previous auction record of $71.2 million.
It also ranks among the highest prices ever achieved for a sculpture at public auction. The work, finished in a gold-toned patina, had drawn significant attention ahead of the sale, with more than 20,000 visitors viewing the Newhouse collection during a pre-sale exhibition at Christie's.
Christie's second auction of the evening, focused on 20th-century art, produced its own record result.
Mark Rothko's "No. 15 (Two Greens and Red Stripe)," from the collection of former Museum of Modern Art president Agnes Gund, sold for $98.4 million, setting a new auction high for the artist.
The session also featured works by Pablo Picasso, Piet Mondrian, Henri Matisse, Joan Miro, Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg.
The results come as major auction houses, including Christie's and Sotheby's, continue to seek stability following a period of economic uncertainty and softer mid-market sales. In recent seasons, the release of major private collections—including those of Paul G. Allen, Leonard A. Lauder, and Pauline Karpidas—has been a primary driver of top-end demand.
Christie's Monday night total ranks among the most significant single-collection auction results since Allen's $1.5 billion sale in 2022.
Analysts caution, however, that headline figures at the top of the market are often shaped by a small number of major buyers and may not reflect broader conditions across the art market.
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