عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Paul Allen's Art Collection Tops $1 bn at Christie's

'The Conversation' by David Hockney, part of Paul Allen's art collection, is on display at Christie's Los Angeles on October 12, 2022 Frederic J. BROWN AFP
'The Conversation' by David Hockney, part of Paul Allen's art collection, is on display at Christie's Los Angeles on October 12, 2022 Frederic J. BROWN AFP
TT
TT

Paul Allen's Art Collection Tops $1 bn at Christie's

'The Conversation' by David Hockney, part of Paul Allen's art collection, is on display at Christie's Los Angeles on October 12, 2022 Frederic J. BROWN AFP
'The Conversation' by David Hockney, part of Paul Allen's art collection, is on display at Christie's Los Angeles on October 12, 2022 Frederic J. BROWN AFP

Paintings and sculptures from the collection of late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen were auctioned off for a historic $1 billion Wednesday, Christie's auction house said, with records set for works by Van Gogh, Cezanne, Gauguin, Seurat and Klimt.

At the end of the night Wednesday, five paintings entered the exclusive club of works of art sold for more than $100 million at auction, the New York auction house said.

The most expensive piece of art of the evening, Georges Seurat's 1888 work "Les Poseuses, Ensemble (small version)", a renowned work of pointillism, fetched $149.24 million, including fees, Christie's said.

The auction house had announced that all the proceeds would be donated to charity, said AFP.

While only 60 of 150 lots were sold on Wednesday, with the rest to be auctioned off Thursday, the value of the collection has already surpassed the previous record for the Macklowe collection, named after a wealthy New York couple, which fetched $922 million at competitor Sotheby's earlier this spring.

The two-day sale in New York came as experts say the super wealthy are viewing art as a safe investment this year amid a tumultuous global economy and Russia's war in Ukraine.

Allen made his fortune with the establishment of the PC operating system with his better-known Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates in 1975.

He amassed a huge art collection which he used to lend to museums before his death in 2018 at the age of 65.

Allen left Microsoft in 1983, due to health problems and a deteriorating relationship with Gates, who remained in charge of the company until 2000.

Despite their strained friendship, Allen signed Gates's "Giving Pledge" campaign and all proceeds from the auction are to be donated to charitable causes.

At auction Wednesday, French painter Paul Cezanne’s "La Montagne Sainte-Victoire" fetched $137.8 million, almost double the artist’s auction record.

A work by Vincent Van Gogh, "Orchard with Cypresses," broke the Dutch artist's previous record, bringing in $117.2 million.

A painting from Paul Gauguin's Tahitian period, "Maternity II," brought $105.7 million.

Austrian painter Gustav Klimt's "Birch Forest" brought in $104.6 million.

Another 95 works from Allen's collection go on sale Thursday.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

Saudi National Center for Wildlife Development to Assess Crown-of-Thorns Starfish Outbreak

Saudi National Center for Wildlife Development to Assess Crown-of-Thorns Starfish Outbreak
TT
TT

Saudi National Center for Wildlife Development to Assess Crown-of-Thorns Starfish Outbreak

Saudi National Center for Wildlife Development to Assess Crown-of-Thorns Starfish Outbreak

Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Wildlife (NCW) initiated a comprehensive survey plan to gather essential data on Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (COTS) populations in key areas of the Red Sea.

The data will be used to promptly address outbreaks of the organism, thereby safeguarding biodiversity and the health of coral reefs.

The effort is part of NCW's role as the national authority and point of reference for establishing protocols and standards related to terrestrial and marine wildlife and addressing the threats they face. It follows the adoption of a protocol to control the spread of COTS, which is tailored to the organism's nature in the Red Sea environment. The protocol allows for a swift and effective response to limit its spread and protect coral reefs.

In December 2022, the NCW convened a workshop to discuss combating COTS outbreaks and develop a protocol for studying the current situation and identifying the causes of the increase in COTS numbers above the natural rate. The workshop also aimed to learn about best practices and applications for controlling the spread of damage from various global experts and consultants in this field.

The plan aims to identify operational procedures and establish the best response framework and mechanism for involving stakeholders. COTS is a marine organism that feeds on algae and types of bacteria that grow on coral reefs. However, it poses a significant threat to ecosystems when it undergoes outbreaks, which have been linked to significant damage to coral reefs in the Red Sea, particularly during the observed spawning season, from the last two weeks of July to the first two weeks of August.

Understanding the organism's spatial distribution, density, and reproductive behavior during its peak period is crucial for effective management and mitigation of potential outbreaks that could lead to coral-reef degradation.

The survey plan offers baseline data on COTS populations in key areas of the Red Sea that can be utilized to predict and manage outbreaks of the organism in a timely manner, thus protecting coral-reef health and biodiversity. The approach is based on accuracy and practical considerations to ensure the comprehensiveness and feasibility of the survey.

Cooperation between marine biologists, local stakeholders, and divers in this initiative is an integral part of conservation efforts in the region.

The crown-of-thorns is a large starfish species belonging to the echinoderm phylum. It inhabits tropical and subtropical Pacific reefs and typically reproduces when the water temperature is 28 degrees Celsius.

During outbreaks, its consumption of coral reefs exceeds the growth rates of reefs. One of the main causes of this organism's outbreak is the imbalance of the food chain and overfishing of the organisms that feed on it, the most important of which is the Napoleon fish, or tarpon.