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The 6 Auctions to Bid on in November

All eyes are on works by Henri Matisse, Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall and more. 

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Painted by Gustav Klimt during one of his long summer sojourns on Lake Attersee in the Salzkammergut region of Austria, Blumenwiese (Blooming Meadow) is a landscape painting made at the high point of Klimt’s career. Courtesy of Sotheby's.

This month, the world's premier auction houses are offering a once-in-a-generation opportunity to acquire works that have long remained beyond public reach. Among the highlights: a $400 million collection of modernist masterpieces, Frida Kahlo's explorations of the subconscious, and a rare 13th-century Buddhist sculpture making its first appearance in over 16 years.

Gustav Klimt , Porträt der Elisabeth Lederer (Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer). Courtesy of Sotheby's.

Sotheby's: Leonard A. Lauder, Collector - Evening Auction 

On November 18, Sotheby's will present The Leonard A. Lauder Collection at its new headquarters, in New York’s historic Breuer Building , offering a landmark assembly of 20th-century masterpieces expected to realize more than $400 million. The centerpiece of the evening sale is Gustav Klimt's Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer (1914-16), one of the artist's most celebrated full-length portraits from his Golden Age period. Never before offered at auction and estimated at more than $150 million, the painting leads a remarkable selection that also includes two never-before-sold Klimt Attersee landscapes, six Matisse sculptures, and major works by Munch, Picasso, and Martin.

Swann Auction Galleries: Contemporary Art

Swann Galleries' Contemporary Art auction on November 13 spans from Pop Art icons to today's leading artists. Headlining is Andy Warhol'sMickey Mouse, from the Myths Series (1981), estimated at $150,000–$200,000, alongside additional Warhol works, including Mao (1972) and Flowers (1964). Pop Art highlights feature Roy Lichtenstein, Keith Haring, and Bridget Riley, while abstraction is represented by Lynne Drexler's vivid oils Blooming Garden (1961) and Bright Path (1962).

Edgar Degas, Danseuses sur la scène (Dancers on the Stage), circa 1879. Credit: CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2025.

Christie's: Impressionist and Modern Works on Paper Sale

This year's Impressionist and Modern Works on Paper Sale presents an exceptional array of masterworks from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, showcasing the finest examples of Impressionism, Surrealism, and Modernism. On November 18, the sale brings together works by Marc Chagall, Wifredo Lam, Henri Matisse, László Moholy-Nagy, and Camille Pissarro, among others, anchored by Edgar Degas' rendered Danseuses sur la scène (circa 1889) and Joan Miró's vibrant Personnage, oiseau, étoiles (1942). 

Photo Credit: CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2025

Christie's Hong Kong: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art

Christie's Hong Kong sale stars a remarkable late 13th century Avalokiteshvara from the Yuan imperial atelier, newly reattributed and returning to market for the first time since 2008. 

Salvador Dalí, Symbiose de la tête aux coquillages (Symbiosis of the Head with Shells), 1931. Courtesy of Sotheby's.

Sotheby's: Exquisite Corpus Evening Auction

Debuting November 20, Exquisite Corpus showcases one of the finest privately held Surrealist collections. Anchored by Frida Kahlo's deeply personal El sueño (La cama), a profound exploration of self and death, the assembly brings together pioneering women artists Dorothea Tanning, Kay Sage, Remedios Varo, and Valentine Hugo alongside the movement's legendary figures: Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, René Magritte, and Yves Tanguy.

Photo Duffy © Duffy Archive & the David Bowie Archive™

Bonhams: Mona Lisa of Pop 

Dubbed the 'Mona Lisa of Pop,' Brian Duffy's photograph of David Bowie for his sixth studio album Aladdin Sane ranks among history's most iconic images. Available at auction for the first time: Duffy's Hasselblad camera used for both Aladdin Sane (1973) and Scary Monsters (1980), two rare surviving contact sheets, the stool Bowie posed on, and leading the sale, the original dye transfer artwork print for the album cover.

The World of Art
The Ultimate Collection Salvador Dalí: The Impossible Collection
$1,200 USD
The Legends Collection Frida Kahlo: Fashion as the Art of Being
$195 USD
All Books Self Portraits: From 1800 to the Present
$150 USD

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