At the greatest art auction in history, around $1 billion (£847 million) worth of paintings belonging to the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen will be sold.
As Mr. Allen desired, Christie’s auction house stated that the earnings from the November sale will be donated to charity.
The collection contains works by Botticelli, Renoir, David Hockney, and Roy Lichtenstein, among others.
Mr. Allen, who co-founded Microsoft with his childhood buddy Bill Gates in 1975, passed away in 2018 at the age of 65.
The auction will feature 150 artworks spanning 500 years.
Pieces will include Paul Cezanne’s La Montagne Sainte-Victoire, which is estimated at more than $100 million (£85 million).
The CEO of Christie’s, Guillaume Cerutti, stated that the auction would be unique.
“The inspirational figure of Paul Allen, the incredible quality and diversity of works, and the dedication of all revenues to philanthropy constitute a unique combination that will make the sale of the Paul G. Allen Collection an unprecedented event,” he stated.
Mr. Allen stated that art was “both analytical and emotional” for him.
The collection “reflects the diversity of his interests, each with its mystique and beauty,” according to Jody Allen, the executor of Mr. Allen’s estate and his sister.
Mr. Allen left Microsoft in 1983 after being diagnosed with the rare form of cancer Hodgkin lymphoma.
His relationship with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates had also deteriorated, but would subsequently mend. He served on the board until the year 2000.
Mr. Allen’s disease was successfully treated, and he co-founded Vulcan Inc. with his sister Jody to oversee his business and charities. He maintained a multibillion-dollar investment portfolio, which included Microsoft shares.
In 2010, he promised to leave the majority of his fortune to charity. According to Forbes magazine, he was the 37th richest man in the world at the time, with an estimated $13.5bn (then £8.8bn).
In 2009, he was treated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but in 2018 he succumbed to the disease’s effects.
