English
Billionaire collector William “Bill” Koch is continuing a major sell-off of his personal holdings, this time bringing a European and Latin American art collection to Christie’s New York in November. The auction house expects the sale to generate more than $40 million, with individual works by Claude Monet and Paul Cézanne each carrying estimates of up to $18 million.
The upcoming sale adds to a remarkable run of high-value transactions between Koch and Christie’s. In June 2025, the auction house sold $28.8 million worth of wine from his private cellar. Seven months later, a Western American art auction brought in $84 million. Christie’s says both sales exceeded expectations.
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A Wide-Ranging Sell-Off
Koch has also been trying to sell his Aspen, Colorado estate. The 52-acre Elk Mountain Lodge first listed in January 2025 for $125 million. After failing to attract a buyer, Koch cut the asking price to $99 million and placed the property at auction in July. He originally bought the estate in 2007 for $26.5 million. It includes a 16,631-square-foot main house and seven guest cabins.
In total, the 85-year-old has parted with more than $112 million in art and wine over less than two years. Another $40 million or more could follow next month. However, neither Koch nor Christie’s has publicly explained the motivation behind the sales. In a statement, Koch said he hopes “art lovers around the world can take the same enjoyment as I have” and that collectors “find something that speaks to their passion.”
The November Sale Highlights
Leading the November offering is Monet’s Champ d’avoine et coquelicots, painted in 1890. The landscape depicts a field of oats and poppies near the artist’s home in Giverny, France. Koch purchased the work in 1985. Christie’s estimates it at $12 million to $18 million.
Sharing the top estimate is Cézanne’s Tasse, verre et fruits, a still life painted around 1877. The work features apples, a cup, and a glass arranged on a tabletop. Koch acquired it in 1986. Both the Monet and the Cézanne will appear in Christie’s 20th Century Evening Sale.
Also among the highlights is Henri Matisse’s Jeune femme fardée à l’orientale (La bayadère), a 1929 nude inspired by the classical ballet La Bayadère. Christie’s estimates it between $5 million and $7 million.
A pastel by Edgar Degas, Scène de ballet, carries an estimate of $3 million to $5 million. The work has a notable provenance. Philadelphia collector Annie Riddle Scott bought it directly from Degas, reportedly on the advice of Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt. Meanwhile, another impression of the underlying monotype belongs to the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts.
Further Works and Koch’s Collecting Legacy
The collection also includes Diego Rivera’s Vendedora de flores en Xochimilco from 1929 and Joan Miró’s Peinture from 1950. Christie’s estimates each at $2.5 million to $3.5 million. In addition, a 1971 Marc Chagall painting, Danseuse à la robe fleurie, carries an estimate of $1.2 million to $1.8 million. Gabriele Münter’s Kind mit Puppe, painted in 1909, is expected to bring between $900,000 and $1.2 million.
Koch built his collections over several decades. An industrialist and America’s Cup winner, he assembled holdings spanning fine art, rare wine, and Western Americana. “I feel very fortunate that with hard work, business success, and a great deal of luck, I have been able to collect things that resonate with me,” he said. “The masterpieces in this sale are among my favorites.”
The works will appear across three Christie’s sales during its November marquee week in New York. These include the 20th Century Evening Sale, the Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale, and the Works on Paper Sale.
