An artwork by Jackson Pollock showcasing his famous painted swoops, swirls, pours, and drizzles set a remarkable sales record at a New York auction on Monday evening, fetching $181.2 million US. Known as “Number 7A, 1948,” this iconic drip painting nearly tripled Pollock’s previous auction record, as confirmed by Christie’s Auction House. The piece, a mesmerizing oil-and-enamel creation on raw canvas measuring nearly a meter in height and over three meters in width, was the highlight of the auction and quickly sold for $181,185,000 to an undisclosed bidder in under seven minutes of intense bidding.
This auction followed a 10-day public exhibition at Christie’s Rockefeller Center location, attracting almost 20,000 visitors eager to view the Pollock and other artworks. Pollock completed “Number 7A, 1948” when he was 36 years old, just before his passing, inside the barn at his Long Island residence near East Hampton. While most of his drip paintings are in museums, this particular piece, the largest of its kind in private hands, was put up for sale.
The artwork was part of a collection from the late media mogul S.I. Newhouse, with 16 modern artworks sold that evening. Another standout piece was the sculpture “Danaïde” by Constantin Brancusi, also surpassing the $100 million mark with a final bid of $107.6 million. The entire sale of 20th-century artworks from the Newhouse collection, featuring artists like Picasso, Mondrian, Miro, Warhol, and Johns, generated a total of $631 million, including auction fees. Christie’s co-head of the 20th Century Evening Sale, Paige Kestenman, expressed satisfaction with the enthusiastic bidding and engagement throughout the event.
