Private Jackson Pollock Auction Falls Apart at Sotheby’s: Report
5June 9, 2026
On June 2, Sotheby’s in New York attempted to stage a private auction for Number 19, 1951, an oil and enamel masterwork by abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock, but the sale failed to launch after the auction house wasn’t able to attract enough bidders, according to a report from Artnews. The asking price for the painting—which is owned by Arne Glimcher, the founder of Pace Gallery—was $50 million, according to the outlet. Sources told Artnews that Oliver Barker, the chairman of Sotheby’s Europe and the auction house’s principal auctioneer, sent a video recording of himself to prospective buyers in which he shared that Glimcher was expressing reluctance about letting go of the painting. Number 19, 1951’s fate remains unclear, but the auction itself was called off altogether. A former auction house source also told Artnews that the aborted sale is noteworthy because they believe it was the first significant attempt to hold a private auction made by Sotheby’s. Why Glimcher allegedly balked at parting ways with his prized Pollock is anyone’s guess, but last week, Pace Gallery cut fifty people from its 250-person staff and dropped fifty artists from its overall roster of 135. In the words of Marc Glimcher, chief executive of Pace and Arne’s son, the current gallery model is “unfixable.” “The whole art gallery art system became too big, too commercial, too impersonal and too corporate,” the younger Glimcher told the New York Times. “We all know it’s true. But you actually have to do something to adapt to it. You have to make some substantial changes.”There’s certainly present interest in Pollock in the art market overall: in May, Christie’s sold Number 7A, 1948, the largest of Pollock’s “drip” paintings to have remained in private hands, for oner $181 million, smashing the artist’s previous auction record of $61.2 million and becoming the fourth most expensive artwork ever to be sold at auction. The painting came from the collection of publishing magnate S.I. Newhouse, who passed away in 2017. Related Robust Sales at Sotheby’s, Phillips Suggest Art Market Upswing Christie’s Auction Rakes in $1.1 Billion as Pollock Sells For Triple Record Price