Pauline Karpidas sales rival Rockefeller and Paul Allen auctions
4 min read · 28 Sep 2025
The Pauline Karpidas sales at Sotheby’s in London earlier this month punched above their weight. They were in the same league as the David Rockefeller and Paul Allen auctions although a fraction of the size.
The three sales of Surrealist art and design collected by the widow of a Greek shipping magnate, which took place September 17-19, were on a par with Christie's auctions of Peggy and David Rockefeller’s vast collection in 2018 and masterworks amassed by the Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen in 2023, both in New York, the traditional home of big-ticket auctions.
Single-collection auction grades
Although much smaller than the Rockefeller and Allen auctions, Karpidas achieved an A+ grade in the HENI Auction Index, with strong demand for and high prices realised against the estimates for her Surrealist art.
The Karpidas, Rockefeller and Allen auctions all scored an A+ on the HENI Auction Index, a unique proprietary algorithm that benchmarks auction performance based on 10+ metrics.
By comparison the sale of S.I. Newhouse's art in 2023, and Louise and Leonard Riggio's collection earlier this year, both at Christie’s New York, scored a C- and a D respectively.
Total sales and the sell-through rate are the typical benchmarks for measuring an auction, but a closer analysis based on a wider range of metrics reveals just how well the Karpidas sales did.
We compared the Karpidas sales, which totaled just over $137m, to 100 single-collection auctions that totaled $10m or more when adjusted for inflation.
The Karpidas sales were led by her Rene Magritte painting, La Statue volante (1958), a François-Xavier Lalanne Console Végétale (2011) and an ashtray designed by Salvador Dalí.
Together the Karpidas sales achieved their top grade because of the strong prices realised vs pre-sale estimates and also the strong demand for many of her works.
Nearly 90% of lots hammered above the low pre-sale estimate and 76% did so above the high pre-sale estimate. That is 15 and 29 percentage points above average of comparable sales.
Total sales value in real $
This graph shows total sales value of 100 single-collection auctions, adjusted for inflation, with major sales named and highlighted.
Percentage of lots selling above the high estimate
In the Karpidas sales 76% of lots sold above their high pre-sale estimate, 29 percentage points above the average of comparable sales.
Guarantees and irrevocable bids
Sotheby's backed every lot in the Karpidas sales, the majority of which were “strong guarantees” as they sold well above estimate.
Karpidas vs comporable sales
The Karpidas sales benchmarked against comparable sales average of 100 single-collection auctions based on the 10+ metrics of the unique HENI Auction Index.
Methodology: for how the HENI Auction Index classifies sales, see here
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