The Rubells Send Their $12m Marlene Dumas to Auction

Few of Marlene Dumas' large-scale canvases have come to auction but when they do, they raise eyebrows. The artist's imposing portrait Miss January (1997) is no exception.

The painting, which stands three-metres tall, is due to be sold by the Rubell family at Christie's in New York on May 14. The Miami-based collectors and the auction house expect it to break the artist's auction record, given its $12m to $18m estimate. It could also become the most expensive work to sell at auction by a living female artist.

The Rubells are selling their prized work to support new acquistions for the family's collection.

Dumas' auction record was last broken in 2008 by a painting titled The visitor, which sold for $6.32m. In 2024, Dumas' The Schoolboys was reportedly sold by David Zwirner at Art Basel in Miami for $9m.