Sotheby's The Now & Contemporary Auction Could Realize $202.2m

3 min read · 28 Apr 2026

Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown) by Jean-Michel Basquiat estimated at $45m. Image courtesy of Sotheby's

Untitled III by Willem de Kooning estimated at $25m (low) to $35m (high). Image courtesy of Sotheby's

Brigitte Bardot by Andy Warhol estimated at $14m (low) to $18m (high). Image courtesy of Sotheby's

Concetto spaziale, Il cielo di Venezia by Lucio Fontana estimated at $10m (low) to $15m (high). Image courtesy of Sotheby's

Half Face with Collar by Roy Lichtenstein estimated at $10m (low) to $15m (high). Image courtesy of Sotheby's

Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown) by Jean-Michel Basquiat estimated at $45m. Image courtesy of Sotheby's

Jean-Michel Basquiat Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown) (1983) is the highest-value lot announced by Sotheby's in its 'The Now & Contemporary Evening Auction' in New York on May 14.

Pre-sale low estimates total $202.2m.

Preview snapshot

45 works are for sale.
Estimates total: $202.2m (low) and $268.8m (high), excluding premiums.

The highest-value lot announced is: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown) (1983), which is estimated to sell for around $45m. It has been traded 5 times in the past.

Guaranteed lots

12 works are backed by guarantees, including: Willem de Kooning, Untitled III (1975). It is estimated to sell for between $25m and $35m. It has been traded twice in the past.

Terms and definitions

Guarantees: Sometimes an auction house guarantees to pay a seller for a work, regardless of whether the bidding reaches the reserve price, a figure that is typically confidential.

All figures are accurate at time of publication.

Market

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Jean-Michel Basquiat

Willem de Kooning

New York

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