David Rockefeller's private art collection recently became the most valuable single-owner private sale in American history, auctioning off over 1,500 pieces for a total of $832 million over four days. The collection included important works by artists like Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Pablo Picasso. Though Rockefeller initially had no interest in art, he and his wife Peggy began acquiring Impressionist and modern pieces in the 1940s after being educated by Museum of Modern Art directors. All proceeds from the auction will go to nonprofit organizations associated with Rockefeller, including the Museum of Modern Art, Harvard University, and Rockefeller University.

1. T H E R O C K E F E L L E R
Everything You Should Know About
A R T C O L L E C T I O N
Etienne Kiss-Borlase

2. Staying true to the Rockefeller legacy,
David Rockefeller is still breaking
records even after his death last year.
The last surviving grandson of America’s
first billionaire John D. Rockefeller,
David Rockefeller’s private art collection
recently became the most valuable
single-owner private sale in American
history, with more than 1,500 pieces
being auctioned off in a four-day period.
The impressive collection included
works by Henri Matisse, Claude Monet,
Georgia O'Keeffe and Pablo Picasso.

3. Though now considered one of the greatest art collectors of
the 20th century, Rockefeller had no interest in art collection
until Marga Barr, wife of the Museum of Modern Art’s first
director, visited his home in 1948 and insulted the art he had
on the walls. After that, Rockefeller and his wife Peggy
decided to increase the quality of art they displayed in their
home. Barr and her husband helped educate the Rockefellers
about late 19th-century and early 20th-century artwork and
offered them guidance as they started to acquired
Impressionist and modern pieces.

4. T H E
C O L L E C T I O N
The massive collection
contains more than
just paintings; the
Rockefellers also
collected furniture and
porcelain, including a
256-piece Sèvres
dessert service set that
Napoleon brought with
him after being exiled
to Elba. The set sold for
$1.8 million, setting a
record for highest price
paid for 19th-century
porcelain.

5. As a child, Rockefeller’s father expected
he give one-third of his allowance to
charity. The importance of giving back
to others was a lesson stayed with him
until his death; all of the money raised
at the auction will go to various
nonprofit organizations close to
Rockefeller’s heart, including the
Museum of Modern Art, Harvard
University, Rockefeller University and
the Maine Coast Heritage Trust.

6. After the four-day auction concluded, 22 world
records were broken and all pieces were sold for a
total of $832 million. On the first night alone, over
$646 million was made in sales. A “Rose Period” piece
of Picasso’s, Fillette a la corbeille fleurie, sold for
$115 million, the highest ever paid for a painting
from that period of his work. This piece was
previously owned by Gertrude Stein and was
obtained by Rockefeller after the death of her partner
Alice B. Toklas.
R E C O R D S
B R O K E N

7. A piece from Monet’s
water lilies collection,
Nympheas en fleur, sold
for $84.7 million, the
highest ever paid for
one of his works. And, a
Henri Matisse painting,
Odalisque couchée aux
magnolias, sold for $80
million, also a record-
high for one of his
pieces.