Sotheby’s is Opening a Gallery in Beverly Hills Near Gagosian, Christie’s
Sotheby’s is headed for the West Coast. The art auction giant is opening a new gallery in California, and it’s
Nik Richie
Sotheby’s is headed for the West Coast. The art auction giant is opening a new gallery in California, and it’s going to be a multi-purpose location with a lot to offer. Located on the famed Camden Street, Sotheby’s will be joining Gagosian and Christie’s in Beverly Hills. And the new location will open just in time to premiere an exciting collection being offered from Sotheby’s. CELEB takes a look at what visitors to the new gallery location can expect.
Sotheby’s Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, get ready. Sotheby’s has come to town. The Hollywood Reporter shares, “Located at 350 N. Camden Dr. in a 1941 modern building, the new Beverly Hills flagship will feature 4,300 square feet of flexible gallery spaces and private viewing salons and feature a rotating selection of both auction previews and buy-it-now luxury items.
‘We’ve had a presence in L.A. for quite a while,’ says Sotheby’s chairman, managing director and worldwide head of business development, global fine art, Mari-Claudia Jiménez, ‘but our locations have never been on a street front, where you could drive by and see what’s in the window of Sotheby’s. This is an exciting way to engage the public in a much more open way in the middle of Beverly Hills.’”
Visitors to the Camden St location will be able to purchase a variety of retail items as well, including purses, watches, shoes, and jewelry. Sotheby’s will also be working with arts programs and non-profits, with part of the gallery space dedicated to lectures and fundraisers. THR adds, “Peter Kloman, the head of Sotheby’s Los Angeles, adds that he is looking to program the space geared around cultural events happening in the city, such as major museum shows, entertainment-industry events and art fairs like Frieze. ‘Perhaps it’s a fashion and jewelry [exhibit] that coincides with the Oscars,’ he says. ‘There are so many opportunities that we want to lean into with this new space.’”
And ringing in the opening will be the vaunted Macklowe Collection, an exciting opportunity for art enthusiasts and collectors. Following the Macklowe collection which will display from the 14th to the 17th, Sotheby’s Beverly Hills will be running a mirror installation from The Strokes’ drummer, Fabrizio Moretti.
Macklowe Collection
Speaking of the Macklowe Collection, it’s a truly unprecedented opportunity for collectors. Made up from the marital assets of Harry Macklowe and Linda Macklowe, the collection is court ordered for the former couple to sell and split as part of their divorce proceedings. And it includes some famous and exciting pieces, expected to yield over $600M when sold in full.
CELEB explore some of the most exciting pieces included in the Macklowe collection, 9 of which will display at the Beverly Hills location:
- Cy Twombly‘s Untitled 2007 piece. Estimated to be worth around $40 million, this large scale contemporary painting boasts Twombly’s signature red flower abstracts, an ode to the work of 17th century Japanese poets.
- Alberto Giacometti’s Le Nez. This 1949 piece was cast around 1964 and is a sculpture with an open-sided steel cage and a bronze figure suspended within. It’s worth an estimated $70M.
- Gerhard Richter‘s 1975 Seestück. Worth around $30M, this large-scale seascape is evocative and moody.
- Andy Warhol’s Nine Marilyns. This 1962 iconic, black-and-white silkscreen painting is an original print of his famous piece, worth around $50M.
- Pablo Picasso‘s Figure. This multi-year piece by Picasso was originally cast in 1928 and added to by the artist in 1968. It’s an energetic metal sculpture originally commissioned for French poet Guillaume Apollinaire.
- Plus more famous pieces.
The fact that Gagosian and Christie’s are already established in Beverly Hills would have seemed to give them the edge in attracting customers, but the Macklowe collection starting right off the bat for Sotheby’s proves that they’re here to compete. Art lovers in Beverly Hills will benefit from the race to stay on top that’s about to kick off between the three major Camden St locations.
Gagosian and Christie’s on Camden St
The competition to secure collections and estate sales has always been fierce, but in recent years it has heated up. As the Baby Boomer generation begins to pass, a massive transfer of wealth is occurring and art pieces that have been out of circulation for decades are on the auction block. The auction galleries that Sotheby’s is joining on Camden St are Gagosian and Christie’s. Here’s what to know about each:
- Gagosian: Named after the founder, Larry Gagosian, the Gagosian gallery opened in Beverly Hills in 1995, one of 16 other worldwide locations. Famous pieces displayed at the Beverly Hills location include those from Edward Ruscha, Nan Goldin, Frank Gehry, Jeff Koons, Richard Prince and Pablo Picasso. Damien Hirst and Andy Warhol also contributed pieces that frequent Gagosian galleries, letting it compete with the bigger houses like Sotheby’s and Christie’s.
- Christie’s: This British auction house has been around since 1766, making it one of the oldest and most established in the world. The sales room in Beverly hills opened in 1997. In 2017, the original Beverly Hills Christie’s moved to a massive, two-story building on Camden St, and it’s remained there since. Christie’s has sold some of the most famous pieces in art history, including pieces from Picasso, Monet, Modigliani, one of the most complete tyrannosaurus rex skeletons in the world, along with unique historical pieces like Ming and Qing Dynasty art from China.
Sotheby’s is squaring up against these two and bringing its A-game to start with. Art collectors visiting Camden Street will feel like a kid arriving at Disney World, and it all starts October 14th.