Christie’s auction house announced they will be selling the impressive art collection of banker and philanthropist David Rockefeller. Rockefeller was the oldest living member of the Rockefeller family and the grandson of John D. Rockefeller, an oil magnate who was considered to have been one of the wealthiest Americans of all time. Rockefeller died March 20, 2017. His estate is selling over 2,000 objects, including modern art masterpieces, Chinese porcelain, American paintings, and European furniture. In 2013, Christie’s and Sotheby’s competed for the right to auction the collection. At the time, Christie’s was willing to guarantee more than $650 million for the collection. The proceeds from the auction will go to a number of charities Rockefeller supported during his lifetime.
See Katya Kazakina, Rockefeller’s Art Treasures to Be Sold at Christie’s Auction, Bloomberg Pursuits, June 6, 2017.
Special thanks to Joel Dobris (Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention.
