Mo Ostin was best remembered by Neil Young for “supporting artists and their work, all the way through his long life, Mo, the giant among Record Business leaders, backed us all up and let us do what we wanted with our music.”

Mo Ostin: Music Industry Legend

Magritte’s L’Empire des lumières reigns supreme among the most iconic images in twentieth century art history. The confounding yet subtle juxtapositions coalesce to form one of the most poetic examples of Magritte’s conceptual oeuvre.

Magritte: L'Empire des lumières 

Borne from the literary mind of Edgar Allan Poe—a favorite author of the artist—the subject of Magritte’s Le Domaine d’Arnheim takes as a point of departure the eponymous short story from 1850.

Magritte: Le Domaine d’Arnheim

The Collection features&nbsp;a remarkably rich dialogue between artists&nbsp;across decades, from Willem de Kooning to Cy Twombly, Joan Mitchell to Cecily Brown.

Gesture and Abstraction

An additional group of artworks that exemplify the depth of The Collection will be offered in a dedicated sequence in Sotheby’s Contemporary Day Auction.

More from The Mo Ostin Collection 

New York

Mo Ostin’s unerring ear for music, his instinctive ability to identify artistic talent and his transformative role in the music industry have – despite his own famous modesty – been widely celebrated. Described as “one of the greatest record men of all time, and a prime architect of the modern music business,” Ostin presided over Warner Bros. Records for more than three decades and was a leader in the field for over half a century, instrumental in transforming a traditional industry with a staid mindset into an innovative business at the forefront of pop culture. This dedicated evening auction of The Mo Ostin Collection will feature definitive masterworks by artists who, like the musicians Ostin worked with, pushed their practice into new territory, among them René Magritte, Pablo Picasso, Willem de Kooning, Cy Twombly, Joan Mitchell, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Cecily Brown.

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.

Vice Chairman, Head of Impressionist &amp; Modern Art

Julian Dawes

Vice Chairman, Head of Contemporary Art

David Galperin

SVP | Global Head of Research

Edith Eustis

VP | Head of Modern Evening Auction

Allegra Bettini

AVP | Impressionist & Modern Art

Sara Land

Specialist, Contemporary Art

Kelsey Macpherson

Meet our Specialists

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 <a class="Link" href="mailto:enquiries@sothebys.com" target="_blank">ENQUIRIES@SOTHEBYS.COM</a>

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With his unerring ear for music and his instinct to identify artistic talent, the legendary record executive Mo Ostin played a transformative role in the music industry. Described as “one of the greatest record men of all time, and a prime architect of the modern music business,” Ostin presided over Warner Bros. Records for more than three decades and was a leader in the field for over half a century. Sotheby’s will offer The Mo Ostin Collection beginning with a dedicated evening sale on May 16th with a selection of definitive masterworks by artists who, like the musicians Ostin worked with, pushed their practice into new territory, among them René Magritte, Pablo Picasso, Willem de Kooning, Cy Twombly, Joan Mitchell, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Cecily Brown.

The Mo Ostin Collection Evening Auction