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At Sotheby’s New York, architect Robert A.M. Stern’s collection realized $8.7 million: the Warhol “Flowers” sold for $6.34 million.
On October 7, 2026, Sotheby’s concluded the live session of “Contemporary Curated” in New York, a sale dedicated to a broad selection of contemporary art characterized by more varied price ranges compared to major evening sales, featuring a chapter devoted to the personal collection of architect Robert A.M. Stern, who passed away last November at age 86. The collection’s leading lot, a 1964 silkscreen painting by Andy Warhol from the “Flowers” series, estimated at $2.5–3.5 million, sold for $6.34 million—153% above the low estimate: a result demonstrating how provenance, quality of works, and the history of a collection built directly in 1960s New York can influence auction interest.
Sale Figures
The portion dedicated to Stern totaled $8.7 million, exceeding the high estimate of $5.5 million, with 90% of lots sold. The entire “Contemporary Curated” session, which also included works from other consignors, closed at $38.62 million—the highest total ever achieved by this Sotheby’s sale series—against an estimate of $30.19 to $43.06 million, with 125 of 157 announced lots sold, representing 80%. Beyond the Warhol, Stern’s collection included a 1965 painting by Roy Lichtenstein, “Sunrise,” estimated at $500,000 to $700,000, an untitled work by John Chamberlain in the same estimate range, and “Light Neutral Curved Area” by Robert Mangold, estimated at $200,000 to $300,000.
“Contemporary Curated” is the sale Sotheby’s has dedicated for years to a more accessible entry point into contemporary art collecting compared to evening sales, often mixing a chapter devoted to a single collector with lots selected from other consignors: this edition also featured works selected by basketball player Karl-Anthony Towns and model Jordyn Woods, separate from Stern’s collection.
A Collector, Not a Dealer
Stern founded Robert A.M. Stern Architects in 1977 and led the Yale School of Architecture as dean from 1998 to 2016, designing buildings ranging from New York skyscrapers to university campuses. He also co-edited a six-volume series on New York’s architectural history, the last of which, “New York 2020,” was recently published, and his design work is held in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Deutsches Architekturmuseum, the Centre Pompidou, the Denver Art Museum, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Many works had remained in Stern’s private collection for decades and had not returned to market, despite being known to the literature and, in some cases, previously exhibited publicly. Stern began building the collection in the 1960s and 1970s, purchasing from historic galleries such as those of Leo Castelli and Kornblee, following a precise thread: Minimalism, Post-Minimalism, and Pop Art protagonists, selected when they were still emerging figures on the New York scene and not yet consecrated names in museums. It is a collection born from personal taste cultivated outside his profession, not from a systematic acquisition plan.
What to Note in the Same Session
In the same session, outside the Stern collection, another result points in the same direction: a 1974 painting by Helen Frankenthaler, “Return and Exit,” estimated at $1.5–2 million, realized approximately $3 million, double the low estimate. Some of the session’s strongest results significantly exceeded pre-sale estimates, especially for works with particularly solid provenance and exhibition history: a cautious reading, limited to this single session, rather than a judgment on the general trend of the contemporary art market.
On Collecto, collectibles can also be purchased in shares—that is, in portions of a single asset shared among multiple co-owners, rather than in full: the works and other objects in the catalog are selected by the platform’s team, and the in-app purchase process, from selecting the asset to paying for the share, is explained step by step on the how Collecto works page.
A private collection, built with discernment over two decades, can become an entire chapter of an auction forty years later.
When a collection has a history, value lies not only in individual lots
Cases like Robert A.M. Stern’s collection demonstrate how a coherent selection criterion, maintained over years, can weigh more than the sum of individual works. On Collecto, you can become a co-owner of artworks and other collectibles starting from €50, purchasing a share directly from the app.
Frequently Asked Questions About Robert A.M. Stern’s Collection
When was the auction of Robert A.M. Stern’s collection held?
On October 7, 2026, in the live session of Sotheby’s “Contemporary Curated” in New York.
How much did Stern’s collection realize?
$8.7 million, exceeding the high estimate of $5.5 million, with 90% of lots sold.
What was the top lot?
A silkscreen painting by Andy Warhol from the “Flowers” series (1964), estimated at $2.5–3.5 million and sold for $6.34 million, 153% above the low estimate.
Who was Robert A.M. Stern?
A New York architect, founder of Robert A.M. Stern Architects in 1977 and dean of the Yale School of Architecture from 1998 to 2016, who passed away on November 27, 2025, at age 86.
What else did his collection include?
Among other lots: “Sunrise” (1965) by Roy Lichtenstein, an untitled work by John Chamberlain, and “Light Neutral Curved Area” by Robert Mangold—works of Minimalism, Post-Minimalism, and Pop Art acquired in the 1960s and 1970s.
How much did the entire “Contemporary Curated” session total?
$38.62 million, the highest total ever achieved by this Sotheby’s sale series, with 125 of 157 announced lots sold.
