Sotheby’s to Auction Joe Lewis’s £150m Modern Art Collection in London

*TL;DR: Sotheby’s will auction Joe and Vivienne Lewis’s modern art collection for more than £150 million, with a 1902 Gustav Klimt portrait priced at £20‑30 million.

Context Sotheby’s announced a June sale that could become the most valuable single-owner auction ever held in London. The works, consigned by billionaire Joe Lewis and his daughter Vivienne—owners of Tottenham Hotspur—span artists such as Klimt, Schiele, Modigliani, Bacon, Matisse, Soutine, Freud and Caillebotte. Highlights will be displayed in New York and London before the auction.

Key Facts - Sotheby’s projects total proceeds above £150 million. Oliver Barker, chair of Sotheby’s Europe, called the lot a “rare concentration of museum‑calibre masterpieces” and a “turning point” for market confidence. - The centerpiece is Klimt’s 1902 full‑length portrait *Bildnis Gertrud Loew*, estimated at £20‑30 million. Only five major Klimt portraits have appeared at auction in the past 25 years, each surpassing its top estimate. - Egon Schiele’s early work *Danaë* is expected to bring £12‑18 million, potentially setting a new record for the artist. - A Modigliani painting unseen for 50 years, *Homme à la pipe*, also carries a £12‑18 million estimate. - Francis Bacon’s 1977 double self‑portrait is priced between £8‑12 million. - The March sale of four School‑of‑London pieces from the same collection realized £35.8 million, double the low estimate.

What It Means If the forecast holds, the June auction will eclipse the £101 million Pauline Karpidas sale, marking a new high for London’s auction week. The presence of works that have not appeared on the market for decades underscores their rarity and could attract global collectors seeking both financial return and cultural prestige. The event also signals renewed vigor in the high‑end art market after a period of uncertainty.

*Watch for the auction results in June and the subsequent impact on pricing trends for modern figurative art.*