Christie's is honored to announce The Edlis | Neeson Collection, an exemplary group of post-war and contemporary art and design that will headline Christie's 21st Century Evening Sale in New York on Wednesday, November 19, 2025. The collection hails from the legendary collectors and renowned philanthropists Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson, presenting important examples by many of the late twentieth century's most coveted names, including Andy Warhol, Ed Ruscha, Diego Giacometti, Richard Prince, George Condo and John Currin. The selection featured within the 21st Century Evening Sale and Post-War and Contemporary Day Sale is expected to realize more than $40 million, with additional works scheduled to be offered in December and throughout 2026.
Sara Friedlander, Christie's Deputy Chairman of Post-War and Contemporary Art, remarks, “We are thrilled to be entrusted with The Edlis | Neeson Collection, an exquisite array of best-in-class art and objects from the post-war period's most important artists and designers. Stefan Edlis was a rare force in the art world, a passionate and visionary collector, generous to the core. His remarkable life story equipped him with an unerring conviction in the power and necessity of art to challenge, question, and expand our horizons. Having escaped unimaginable persecution in Nazi-era Germany, Mr. Edlis emigrated to America penniless. Testament to his entrepreneurial prowess and determination, he soon found success in industry and turned his focus to building a visionary art collection. Together with his loving wife Gael Neeson, the couple became post-war America's archetypal collectors. Fueled by the belief that art could quite literally save a life, Edlis and Neeson immersed themselves in the work of the late twentieth century's most daring and iconoclastic artists. A true connoisseur, the result is one of the foremost private collections in America today: every work was carefully scrutinized before its purchase, resulting in a grouping of unparalleled quality, coherence, and art historical importance. We look forward to presenting the market with this collection - a rare and daring selection that captures the humor, resilience, and humanity of the inimitable Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson.”
Testament to the singular foresight that determined the success of Edlis and Neeson's collecting, the selection within the 21st Century Evening Sale includes stellar examples by artists who have become established canonical figures. Andy Warhol's The Last Supper (1986), executed in an electric yellow hue, leads the group, which also includes
a major 2004 canvas by Ed Ruscha,
an outstanding 2010 work by George Condo and
a masterwork by John Currin.
Alongside fine art, the sale will feature a coveted bronze console table by Diego Giacometti, a nod to the elegant harmony between the contemporary and the classical that surrounded Edlis and Neeson at home.
Christie's is honored to present Collector/Connoisseur: The Max N. Berry Collections; a sale series spanning a multitude of categories—both auction and private sales—which will take place over the course of months. Sales begin this November in New York's 20/21 Fall Marquee Week, including four important works by Alexander Calder and Alberto Giacometti in the 20th Century Evening Sale on Monday November 17, 2025.
ALEXANDER CALDER (1898-1976) Acrobats, inscribed 'Calder' (in wire), wire and wood, 34.3/4 x 17 x 7 in. (88.3 x 43.2 x 17.8 cm.) Executed circa 1929. Estimate: $5,000,000-7,000,000 Acrobats is an exceptional example by Alexander Calder (estimate: $5,000,000-7,000,000), which relates to the circus, among the artist's most celebrated subjects, and is the first wire-figure sculpture by the artist to come to market since 2018. Another highlight by Calder, Untitled (estimate: $1,500,000-2,000,000) is a rare hanging mobile dating to the late 1930s which invokes Calder's adept use of another medium: wood. The Giacometti works in the selection include a bronze, Buste d'homme (Diego) (estimate: $5,000,000-8,000,000) and a painting, Nature morte dans l'atelier (estimate: $1,500,000-2,500,000). Together, these stand as exquisite examples of the artist's deeply personal and favorite motifs, the cramped confines of his studio and the dramatic contours of his brother's face.
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