One of the most influential collections of late 20th-century art is about to leave the homes of its custodians and go under the hammer. The Sonnabend collection auction will arrive at Christie’s between October and December 2026, with stops in London, Paris, and New York, and an overall estimate exceeding $50 million. Up for sale are works by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jeff Koons, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Mario Schifano, from the private collection assembled by Ileana Sonnabend and her adopted son Antonio Homem Sonnabend, who passed away last March after dedicating decades to caring for this heritage.
Key points
- Christie’s estimates that the sale of the Sonnabend collection will exceed $50 million, with three events in London, Paris, and New York from October to December 2026.
- Among the works are pieces by Warhol, Lichtenstein, Koons, Johns, Rauschenberg, Schifano, Nauman, Dubuffet, Kiefer, and Jean Prouvé.
- Two works by Lichtenstein and Warhol, from the Sonnabend Collection Mantova, will be sold by the Foundation to create an endowment fund to support the museum.
- Part of the collection remains visible to the public: from 2025 at the Sonnabend Collection Mantova in the Palazzo della Ragione, and from 3 November 2026 with an exhibition at the Palazzo Esposizioni in Rome.
Highlights and schedule of the Sonnabend collection auction
The sale is structured in multiple sessions spread across three European and American capitals, with a framework designed to cover the entire span of the collection, from Pop Art masterpieces to conceptual experiments. The estimated value, according to Christie’s, could exceed a total of $50 million, a figure that places the operation among the most significant institutional-level sales of the season.
Venues and timing of the auctions
The sales will begin in October in London with the 20th/21st Century Evening Sale, then continue with a New York evening dedicated to prints and multiples. This will be followed by the 20th/21st Century: Paris Evening Sale, which will include a section dedicated to Thinking Italian. The main core of the collection will return to New York during the Fall Marquee Week in November, distributed between the 21st Century Evening Sale and the Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale, with further dates scheduled in December and thereafter.
Featured artists and variety of works
The catalogue includes paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, prints, multiples, and design objects, testifying to the breadth of the Sonnabend family’s interests. Among the names in the auction are Jeff Koons, Bruce Nauman, Andy Warhol, Jean Dubuffet, Anselm Kiefer, and Jean Prouvé. Sources also indicate specific works already announced: A de Chirico (1962) by Mario Schifano, Campbell’s Soup Can (Turkey Noodle) (1962) by Warhol, Triple Rauschenberg [Bob Rauschenberg #2] (1962) and Untitled (Collage with Cuff) (1957) by Robert Rauschenberg, Numbers (1957) by Jasper Johns, Ode to Love (2010–17) by Koons, and Large Spool (1963) by Roy Lichtenstein. Christie’s specified that individual estimates were not yet available at the time of the announcement.
Special sales and the Foundation’s endowment fund
Two works, one by Lichtenstein and one by Warhol, coming directly from the Sonnabend Collection Mantova, will be sold by the Foundation itself. The goal, as explained by Antonio Phokion Potamianos-Homem Sonnabend, son of Antonio Homem, is to establish an endowment fund that will strengthen the organization and amplify its future vision. In his comments he added that his father spent his life among these works and that parting with them was not a decision taken lightly.
Why it matters for the market: when a historic and coherent core like this comes to market as a whole, the effect is not limited to the individual lots. It reinforces the perception of rarity of the works remaining in the hands of the Foundation and the family, and can generate increased interest in the same artists whose works are held in museum and private collections that share the Sonnabend provenance.
The legacy of the Sonnabend family and gallery
Behind the auction lies a story that spans more than fifty years of art history, built around the gallery that served as a bridge between Europe and the United States in the postwar period.
The role of Ileana Sonnabend in postwar contemporary art
Ileana Sonnabend worked for more than fifty years alongside her husband Michael and then Antonio, first in Paris and later in New York, helping to build an international network through which artists destined to redefine the artistic landscape of the second half of the 20th century passed. From the American Pop Art of Warhol, Johns, Lichtenstein, and Rauschenberg to the European explorations of Gilbert & George, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Mario Schifano, and Giovanni Anselmo, the Sonnabend Gallery was one of the places where different languages and geographies met, often for the first time. The gallery opened in New York’s Soho in 1971, sharing the building with other dealers such as Leo Castelli, John Weber, and André Emmerich, before moving to Chelsea in 2000.
Sara Friedlander, president of the Post-War and Contemporary Art department at Christie’s, emphasized that Ileana Sonnabend’s role in the trajectory of postwar and contemporary art is of fundamental importance, and that the collection represents the best of late 20th-century artistic movements between Europe and the United States.
The management of Antonio Homem Sonnabend and the Foundation
Antonio Homem Sonnabend worked at the gallery for 46 years, eventually becoming its director after Ileana’s death in 2007. In 2009 he co-founded the Sonnabend Collection Foundation, dedicating his life to postwar and contemporary art and to preserving the extraordinary legacy left by his parents. According to Friedlander, together with Ileana and Michael, and with Antonio joining the group in 1968, Homem Sonnabend helped make the gallery one of the most important of the contemporary era, later becoming the custodian and supporter of one of the most significant cultural heritages of our time.
Ongoing cultural commitment and exhibitions
Despite the sale, the main core of the collection does not disappear from public view: it simply takes new forms, distributed between two museum venues in Italy.
Permanent display at the Sonnabend Collection Mantova
Since 2025 the Sonnabend Collection Mantova has been active, housed in the medieval Palazzo della Ragione in the city of Mantua. The venue permanently displays around one hundred works, including those by Lichtenstein, Warhol, and Koons, thus keeping a significant portion of the collection accessible to the public even after the sales begin.
Upcoming exhibition at the Palazzo Esposizioni in Rome
Starting from 3 November 2026, a selection from the Sonnabend Collection Foundation and the Homem Sonnabend family collection will be presented at the Palazzo Esposizioni in Rome, with an exhibition project designed to accompany the collection’s new chapter. Potamianos-Homem stated that he is proud to carry forward the transatlantic vision of Ileana and Antonio, ensuring a vital exchange of artists and works between Europe and America and guaranteeing that the perspective that shaped this collection continues to be valued.
For collectors and institutions following the postwar art market, the operation also marks a symbolic transition: a private collection that helped define the canon of Pop Art and conceptual art now partly enters the Italian public museum circuit, while another part generates the liquidity needed to sustain that same cultural project over time.
FAQ
When and where will the Sonnabend collection auctions take place?
The auctions will take place in London, Paris, and New York between October and December 2026.
Which artists are included in the Sonnabend collection auction?
The collection includes works by leading artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jeff Koons, Bruce Nauman, Jean Dubuffet, Anselm Kiefer, and Jean Prouvé.
What is the purpose of the sale of two works by the Sonnabend Collection Foundation?
The two works will be sold to establish an endowment fund that will strengthen and amplify the Foundation’s vision.
Where can the rest of the Sonnabend collection be seen?
Part of the collection is on permanent display in Mantua, at the Sonnabend Collection Mantova, active since 2025, while a selection will be presented in Rome, at the Palazzo Esposizioni, starting from 3 November 2026.
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