Microsoft Co-Founder Paul Allen's Art Collection Sells for Record $1.5 Billion at Auction

Anna Lazarus Caplan
·2 min read
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Paul Allen attends The 8th Annual Filmmakers Dinner; Art handlers hold a painting titled 'La montagne Sainte-Victoire' by Paul Cezanne (estimate on request: in excess of $120,000,000) during a photo call to present the highlights from the estate of the philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft, Paul G. Allen in London
Paul Allen attends The 8th Annual Filmmakers Dinner; Art handlers hold a painting titled 'La montagne Sainte-Victoire' by Paul Cezanne (estimate on request: in excess of $120,000,000) during a photo call to present the highlights from the estate of the philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft, Paul G. Allen in London
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David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images; Wiktor Szymanowicz/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Paul Allen

Works of art from late Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen's collection were sold at a history-making auction Wednesday night.

The treasure trove of "60 extraordinary works" fetched more than $1.5 billion, becoming the most valuable private collection of all time and also breaking multiple additional records, according to Christie's.

"Never before have more than two paintings exceeded $100 million in a single sale, but tonight, we saw five," Max Carter, Vice Chairman, 20th and 21st Century Art, said in a statement. "Four were masterpieces from the fathers of modernism — Cézanne, Seurat, van Gogh and Gauguin."

The evening's top draw was Georges Seurat's Les Poseuses, Ensemble (Petite version), which sold for an eye-popping $149,240,000 — shattering the record for the artist.

Fittingly, the piece held special significance for the philanthropist.

RELATED: Paul Allen, Microsoft Co-Founder and Seattle Seahawks Owner, Dies at the Age of 65

"Because of my computer background, I'm attracted to things like Pointillism or a Jasper Johns 'numbers' work because they come from breaking something down into its components — like bytes or numbers, but in a different kind of language," he once said, according to the auction house.

Georges Seurat, Les Poseuses, Ensemble (Petite version), Painted in 1888, Estimate on request: in excess of $100,000,000 - Works from the estate of the philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft, Paul G. Allen at Christies London. A free public exhibition runs from 14-17 October.
Georges Seurat, Les Poseuses, Ensemble (Petite version), Painted in 1888, Estimate on request: in excess of $100,000,000 - Works from the estate of the philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft, Paul G. Allen at Christies London. A free public exhibition runs from 14-17 October.

Guy Bell/Shutterstock

Cézanne's La Montagne Sainte-Victoire sold for $137,790,000. The landmark painting marked a pivotal turn for the artist into more abstract territory, Christie's said, and helped to pave the way for Cubism.

Meanwhile, other records were set by the sale of van Gogh's Verger avec cyprês and Gauguin's monumental Maternité II, which were sold for $117,180,000 and $105,730,000 respectively. The former painting is one of 14 canvases dedicated to the luminous landscape of Provence, while the latter artwork was painted in Tahiti in 1899.

RELATED: Bill Gates Honors Microsoft Co-Founder Paul Allen, Who Died of Cancer: He 'Changed My Life'

The historic sale continues Friday morning, with more masterworks in the offing, including sculptures by Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti and Pablo Picasso.

The entire collection of art spans 500 years, from the Renaissance to modernism's masters.

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Allen amassed his collection over several decades, according to CNN, and lent the artwork to museums around the world.

Per his wishes, all proceeds from the auction will benefit philanthropic causes, the auction house said.