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Single-owner art auctions have always held a unique allure for collectors, curators, and design lovers alike. These sales offer more than just artworks—they tell the story of the person who collected them, revealing tastes, passions, and relationships that shaped each acquisition. In 2025, this compelling format continues to shape the global art market, with landmark auctions taking place in the United States and a promising season of sales anticipated across the UK and Europe.
In May, New York played host to two major single-owner auctions that generated excitement despite a somewhat cautious international art market. At Christie’s, the collection of Leonard and Louise Riggio went under the hammer in a highly anticipated sale titled Leonard & Louise Riggio: Collected Works. Leonard Riggio, the visionary behind the bookstore empire Barnes & Noble, was also a committed arts patron and former chairman of the Dia Art Foundation. Alongside his wife Louise, he assembled a striking collection of 20th-century and minimalist works. The sale included standout pieces such as Mondrian’s Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue (1922), estimated at $50 million, and a rare Magritte from his L’empire des lumières series. With a total estimate of $250 million, the auction underscored how visionary collecting and thoughtful curation continue to resonate with today’s buyers.
A week later, Sotheby’s followed with Elegance & Wonder, the sale of Old Master paintings from the estate of Thomas and Jordan Saunders. Less known to the public but deeply influential in the art world, the couple built a remarkable collection over decades, favoring Dutch still lifes, Italian landscapes, and 17th-century portraiture. The auction’s highlights included a floral still life by Jan Davidsz de Heem (estimated $8–12 million) and a luminous 1760s still life by Spanish painter Luis Meléndez. One of the most talked-about pieces was View of Olinda, Brazil, with the Ruins of the Jesuit Church by Frans Post, discovered in a Connecticut barn and now estimated at up to $8 million. If the Saunders collection meets expectations, it may become the most valuable single-owner Old Master sale in history, surpassing the $76 million record set in 2023.
These sales do more than bring rare works to market—they offer buyers a compelling narrative. Artworks from notable collectors often command higher prices due to the prestige of their provenance. As Jussi Pylkkänen, former president of Christie’s, has noted, buyers are influenced not just by the quality of a work, but by the collector who once owned it. The emotional resonance of acquiring a piece once cherished by a prominent figure adds another layer of meaning—and value.
The appeal of single-owner auctions is expected to grow as a generation of major collectors begin to sell. Over the past five years, more than $10 billion in art has been sold through single-owner collections at Sotheby’s and Christie’s—nearly double the total from the previous five years. These auctions have the power to lift entire seasons: the 2022 Paul Allen collection at Christie’s brought in a record-shattering $1.5 billion in a single evening, just months after the $922 million Macklowe sale. Even in difficult markets, collections with strong narratives—like that of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé in 2009—can ignite global excitement and defy broader economic trends.
Looking ahead to the summer and fall seasons, collectors should keep an eye out for upcoming single-owner auctions in London and Paris, which are expected to feature important European decorative arts and 19th-century paintings. Christie’s and Sotheby’s are also preparing additional American estate sales, with more information expected in the coming months. Among the ones to watch is the estate of a prominent West Coast collector rumored to include postwar design, ceramics, and modernist sculpture.
For anyone passionate about design, collecting, and cultural history, single-owner sales offer a rare chance to own a piece of art with not only aesthetic value but also rich provenance. Whether you are drawn by the romance of a collector’s story or the prestige of a name, these sales are more than auctions—they are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Don’t miss your chance to bring home something exceptional.
