brody art collection

Record-Setting Art Sale Will Lead To Huge Museum Gift

My colleague Jared Paul Stern wrote earlier this week about the blockbuster Picasso sale in New York. The sale of Pablo Picasso painting, "Nude, Green Leaves and Bust" brought in a record-breaking $106.5 million. But just where is all that money going? The late Frances Lasker Brody's art collection could bring The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California its largest cash gift ever, topping the $21 million gift received from Charles and Nancy Munger in 2002.

The Whittier Daily News reports that the staff at The Huntington gathered together to watch the bids rise on-line during the auction at Christie's in New York City on Tuesday. The grand total for Brody's art collection came to more than $224 million including Alberto Giacometti's 1954 bust, "Grande tête mince," which went for over $53 million at auction, and his 1951 bronze, "Le Chat," sold for over $20 million. Huntington president Steven Koblik is still waiting to hear how much from the sale of Brody's art collection will be set aside for The Huntington. The museum will also receive part of the proceeds from the sale of the Brodys Holmby Hills, California home which Bloomberg says is listed at $24.95 million. The home is on the market for the first time since it was built in 1949. The 2.3 acres include a guesthouse, pool and tennis court.

Brody died last November at 93. She had been involved with The Huntington for decades and the gift, which she had delineated in her will, will go toward all the programs at Huntington with special attention paid to the botanical gardens that Brody loved.

Tags: brody art collection, frances lasker brody, huntington library, picasso, san marino