Ten Highlights From New York’s Spring Marquee Auctions

Giacometti’s Hand-Painted Head

This seminal work by Alberto Giacometti stands as both a testament to his ability to capture the existential fragility of human existence with profound psychological depth and evidence that his art was grounded in the intimate observation of those closest to him. Elevating a personal, familial portrayal into a universal meditation on the human condition, Giacometti shaped a deeply poignant sculptural reflection on both the physical structure and emotional essence of life itself.

One of the rare Postwar bronzes by Giacometti to come to auction, this intense portrait of his brother and lifelong muse, Diego Giacometti, is expected to sell for more than $70 million. Only six casts of the work exist, and the estimate reflects sustained market strength for comparable examples: one sold for $53 million at Christie’s in 2010; another reached $50 million at Sotheby’s in 2013. This cast also benefits from a distinguished exhibition history and provenance, having been shown at the 1956 Venice Biennale and displayed for nearly two decades at the Fondation Maeght in southern France before its acquisition in 1980 from Galerie Maeght by billionaire art collector Sheldon Solow, who died in 2020.

The consignor, the Soloviev Foundation—a nonprofit established by Solow’s son—declined to comment, but the sale proceeds are reportedly intended to support the foundation’s mission. This May, the Soloviev Foundation will be notably present in New York with “Between Distance and Desire: African Diasporic Perspectives,” an exhibition curated by Tumelo Mosaka that features works from its collection alongside eight contemporary artists. On May 8, it will also unveil Path of Liberty at Freedom Plaza, a six-acre public art installation conceived as a prelude to America’s 250th anniversary in celebration of the founding ideals of freedom and diversity.