Discover masterful examples from some of the most important artists working from the 20th century to today including Wayne Thiebaud, Joan Mitchell, Salman Toor, Loie Hollowell and many more.

Highlights of the Sale

An exciting and rare glimpse into the life of the extraordinary collection and entertainment industry powerhouse, the Contemporary Art Day Auction is thrilled to present 18 works from the The Mo Ostin Collection including exceptional examples by Albert Oehlen, Mark Grotjahn, Cy Twombly, Neil Jenney and Richard Estes.

Contemporary Art Day Auction is thrilled to present 18 works from the The Mo Ostin Collection including exceptional examples by Albert Oehlen, Mark Grotjahn, Cy Twombly, Neil Jenney and Richard Estes.

The Mo Ostin Collection

Sotheby’s is thrilled to present On the Edge: Five Decades of American Minimalism a collection of 12 works from an esteemed private collection. The collection is anchored by Dan Flavin’s The Diagonal of May 25, 1963, the artist’s first fluorescent light work, as well as exceptional examples by Craig Kauffman, Anne Truitt, Donald Judd, Sol LeWitt, John McCracken and Fred Sandback.

Using industrial materials and a new vocabulary of simplified geometric forms, American Minimalists from Donald Judd to Ann Truitt challenged traditional notions of craftsmanship to establish a new way of thinking. Explore a stunning selection of their groundbreaking work spanning five decades.

On the Edge

Five Decades of American Minimalism

Browse exceptional works by pioneering female artists of their time.

From Elaine de Kooning and Lee Bontecou to Katherine Bradford and Elizabeth Peyton, browse some of the most innovative and forward thinking-examples by the most lauded female artists of their generation.

Leading Female Artists

The Contemporary Day Auction is honored to present property from The Collection of Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem, led by great examples of sculpture by Richard Long, Tony Smith, Not Vital, Bruce Nauman and Karel Appel, the proceeds of which will benefit charities supporting the arts, music and medical research.

Sotheby’s Contemporary Day Auction is honored to present property from the Collection of Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem, Sold for Charitable Purposes Supporting the Arts, Music and Medical Research.

Property from the Collection of Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem

The Art of Giving

Uncover some of the rarest and most significant generative artworks.

Property From an Iconic Digital Art Collection 

The timeless collection of Frances Wells Magee comes to auction this season, with major highlights across four Marquee week auctions, the Contemporary Day Auction will feature an exceptional example of 20th century masters such as Robert Rauschenberg and Claes Oldenburg.

The timeless collection of Frances Wells Magee comes to auction this Spring, with major highlights across four Marquee auctions, the Contemporary Day Auction will feature an exceptional example of 20th&nbsp;century masters such as Robert Rauschenberg and Claes Oldenburg.

Works from the Collection of Frances Wells Magee

The Collector’s Eye

The Contemporary Day Sale is excited to present distinguished examples from some of the most innovative, avant-garde and historic names within the history of Latin American abstraction. The auction features a selection of important works by Gego, Lygia Clark, Lygia Pape, Mercedes Pardo, outstanding examples by Sonia Gomes, Juan Downey, Antonio Bandeira, and innovative works by Olga de Amaral, Fernando de Szyszlo and Sarah Grilo.

Discover exceptional examples by leading Latin American artists like Lygia Clark, Lygia Pape, Gego, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Jesús Rafael Soto, Carmen Herrera and Antonio Bandeira.

Latin American Abstraction

Explore daring, narrative and dreamlike works of figurative and abstract painting by cutting-edge artists such as Louis Fratino, Julien Nguyen, Vojtěch Kovařík, Chase Hall, Michaela Yearwood-Dan and Shannon Cartier Lucy.

Rising Stars

Encompassing an array of spectacular sculptural and installation-based artworks from the likes of Antony Gormley and Damien Hirst, these highlights feature a selection of innovative and groundbreaking works that push beyond traditional media.&nbsp;

Important Sculpture

The Contemporary Day Auction offers a selection of celebrated artists with recent, ongoing or upcoming retrospective exhibitions at major institutions such as Alex Katz, Gego and Sarah Sze at the Guggenheim, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith at the Whitney Museum of American Art and Ed Ruscha exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art.

A thrilling collection of works by artist’s whose creative output has been institutionally recognized with significant museum exhibitions in recent and upcoming months.

Artists featured in Recent and Upcoming Museum Exhibitions

Institutional Favorites

New York

Sotheby’s Contemporary Day Auction is honored to present an extraordinary selection of works ranging from the titans of Abstract Expressionism to the pioneers of Minimalism, which contrasts dynamically against the boldness of Pop Art and continues through to fresh-to-market examples by today’s most groundbreaking living artists. Highlights include 18 exceptional works from the collection of legendary record executive Mo Ostin, works from the Collection of Jan and Maria Manetti Shrem including top examples of outdoor sculpture as well as works from the Collection of Frances Wells Magee. The Contemporary Day Auction will feature many of the most critically acclaimed artists including Wayne Thiebaud, Joan Mitchell, Lee Bontecou and Sam Gilliam as well as an exemplary selection of works by living artists including Yayoi Kusama, Elizabeth Peyton, Loie Hollowell and Laura Owens. Sotheby’s is honored to present works by several artists including Juane Quick-to-See Smith, Ed Ruscha, Alex Katz and Gego, which coincides with major, current and upcoming exhibitions of their work. Sale Number: N11174

SVP | Head of Day Sale, Specialist, Contemporary Art

Nicole Schloss

AVP | Deputy Head of Sale, Specialist, Contemporary Art

Emily Miles

AVP | Head of Afternoon Session, Specialist, Contemporary Art

Kathleen Hart

Associate Specialist, Contemporary Art

Alya Sama

Associate Cataloguer, Contemporary Art

Carola Reyes Benítez

Cataloguer, Impressionist &amp; Modern Art

Rachel Hansen

Meet our Specialists

Explore the top works, collections and stories of the season as they are announced, and join us for our in-person Highlights Exhibitions around the world which culminate in The New York Sales exhibition in New York in May.

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Sotheby’s Contemporary Day Auction is honored to present an extraordinary selection of works this May. Highlights include 18 exceptional works from the Collection of legendary record executive Mo Ostin, works from the Collection of Jan and Maria Manetti Shrem including top examples of outdoor sculpture as well as works from the Collection of Frances Wells Magee. The Contemporary Day Auction will also feature exceptional examples by many of the most critically acclaimed artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.