Nicole Kidman just found herself in the middle of a billion-dollar art world moment.
Christie’s sold more than $1.1 billion worth of art in one night, breaking records for Jackson Pollock, Constantin Brancusi, and Mark Rothko. The sale moved fast, with 16 works from the late media billionaire S.I. Newhouse’s collection selling in under an hour for $630.8 million.
But before the auction house started counting record-breaking bids, it had already grabbed attention with one unusual promotional move: a video of Kidman dancing around Brancusi’s golden bust, ‘Danaïde’.
Nicole Kidman Dances With Brancusi Sculpture
In the weeks before the auction, Christie’s released a promotional video featuring Kidman in a stylized encounter with Brancusi’s ‘Danaïde’. The clip showed the actress moving around the gold-toned sculpture to David Bowie’s ‘Golden Years’.
The video was reportedly inspired by a 1930s Man Ray film and helped put extra spotlight on one of the night’s biggest lots.
The strategy may have looked strange, but it did not hurt the final price.
‘Danaïde’, a cast-bronze bust created around 1913, sold for $107.6 million. That surpassed Brancusi’s previous auction record of $71.2 million and made it the second most expensive sculpture ever sold at auction, behind Alberto Giacometti’s ‘L’Homme au Doigt’, which sold for $141.2 million in 2015.
Jackson Pollock Leads The Night
The biggest sale of the evening belonged to Pollock.
His 1948 drip painting ‘Number 7A’ sold for $181.2 million, nearly triple his previous auction record of $61.2 million. The large-scale work was the top lot of the night and drew major attention in the salesroom.
According to reports, the winning bid came by phone after a six-way bidding war. The packed room reportedly reacted with audible surprise as the price climbed.
The work came from Newhouse’s collection, which also included pieces by Joan Miró, Henri Matisse, Piet Mondrian, Jasper Johns, and other major names.
Christie’s Breaks Multiple Records
The Newhouse sale alone beat expectations, with all 16 lots finding buyers. Christie’s had estimated the group would bring in between $450 million and $595 million. Instead, it reached $630.8 million.
Later that same night, Christie’s held another 20th-century art sale, adding $490.3 million to the total.
That sale included Mark Rothko’s ‘No. 15 (Two Greens and Red Stripe)’ from the collection of late philanthropist Agnes Gund. The painting sold for $98.4 million with fees, setting a new auction record for Rothko.
Alice Neel also hit a new record when ‘Mother and Child (Nancy and Olivia)’ sold for $5.7 million, tripling its high estimate.
Newhouse Collection Hits Historic Total
Newhouse, who died in 2017, built one of the most valuable private collections ever brought to auction. Christie’s has sold works from his collection in several stages over the years.
With this latest sale factored in, the Newhouse collection has now surpassed $1.05 billion in total auction sales, making it the second most valuable private collection behind that of late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
Max Carter, Christie’s global chairman of 20th and 21st century art, said the night’s “extraordinary energy” and $1.1 billion result showed that the market had embraced a rare opportunity.
For Christie’s, it was one of the most lucrative nights in auction house history. For Kidman, it was another unexpected screen appearance that somehow ended up attached to a massive cultural moment.
This time, instead of selling movie tickets, she helped sell the mood around a $107 million sculpture.
