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Sotheby's to Offer Selections from the Collection of Barbara Gladstone
This May, twelve works from the personal collection of the legendary gallerist will feature in a single-owner sale.
A pioneering gallerist and one of the most influential figures to shape Contemporary Art, Barbara Gladstone spent her life championing artists. Over four decades, she built one of the world's most respected galleries, credited with discovering and fostering some of the most important artistic voices of the past 40 years.
“Barbara Gladstone changed what it meant to live with art—and what it meant to believe in it. Her collection is not just a group of important works by renowned artists, but a deeply personal testament to her sharp eye, the relationships she nurtured, and the singular vision she had for contemporary art. Each piece is meaningful, lived with, and reflects a collector who saw something unique in it. These works stand as its most powerful expression, offering us a profound new lens into who she was as a collector and her enduring legacy.”
LISA DENNISON, CHAIRMAN, SOTHEBY’S AMERICAS
This May, for the first time ever, the public will have the rare opportunity to view a selection from Barbara Gladstone’s extraordinary private collection. Offered in a dedicated single-owner sale at Sotheby’s, The Collection of Barbara Gladstone unveils a deeply personal selection of works acquired over three decades. Estimated to exceed $12 million, this group of works offers unique insight into Gladstone's unerring eye and infallible taste. This collection reflects her singular vision and era-defining point of view, offering a rare opportunity to see a personal side of this extraordinarily influential figure.
“For those of us who revere artists, Barbara Gladstone was a true visionary—and her legacy looms large in the art world. Her personal collection embodies a lifetime of challenging convention and a conviction in the power of art. Each artwork was chosen with intention, each bearing the imprint of her singular eye, brilliance, and fearlessness.”
DAVID GALPERIN, VICE CHAIRMAN, HEAD OF CONTEMPORARY ART, SOTHEBY’S AMERICAS
The works in her personal collection reflect the uncompromising instincts and visionary foresight that defined her gallery program. The collection includes two seminal paintings by Richard Prince, an artist that Gladstone championed early in his career—the monumental Man Crazy Nurse from Gladstone's legendary 2003 show of Nurse Paintings, and one of the most significant monochromatic Joke paintings to ever come to auction. The collection also provides a glimpse into Gladstone's lifelong friendships with now canonical artists — including a Polke rasterbild personally dedicated to Barbara — with each piece reflecting a lifetime surrounded by artists. Her personal choices were as forward-thinking as her professional ones.
Highlights from Selections from the Collection of Barbara Gladstone
Type: lot
Category: Lot
Richard Prince
Richard Prince
Man Crazy Nurse, 2002-03
Type: lot
Category: Lot
Richard Prince
Richard Prince
Are You Kidding?, 1988
Type: lot
Category: Lot
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Black Flowers, 1964
Type: lot
Category: Lot
Rudolf Stingel
Rudolf Stingel
Untitled (Bolego), 2006
Type: lot
Category: Lot
Mike Kelley
Mike Kelley
Memory Ware Flat #42, 2003
Barbara Gladstone’s enduring legacy remains as multifaceted and far-reaching as the artists she represented at Gladstone Gallery. Like Leo Castelli and Sidney Janis, exalted contributors to the history of mid-20th century art, she deeply impacted the course of artistic appreciation. Informed by decades of stewardship, she built a collection that reflects an intense understanding of and appreciation for the artists themselves, cementing her legacy as one of the most consequential voices of the 21st century.
Barbara Gladstone’s legacy is one of enduring influence: a visionary who reshaped contemporary art, nurtured transformative relationships with artists, and built a gallery that continues to serve as both a sanctuary and a launching pad. Her name remains synonymous with courage, insight, and an unshakable belief in the power of art to provoke, illuminate, and endure.
Preview Exhibition at Sotheby's New York
2–15 May
1334 York Ave, NY 10021
Selections from the Collection of Barbara Gladstone
15 May 2025
6:30 PM
1334 York Ave, NY 10021
