The Now and Contemporary Evening Auction in May 2026 will feature artworks which capture the paradigmatic artistic shifts of the latter half of the 20th century through to the present. Led by one of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s most significant paintings—Museum Security (Broadway Meltdown) from 1983—as well as a tranche of American and European masterworks by Mark Rothko, Lucio Fontana, Alexander Calder and more from the Collection of Jean & Terry de Gunzburg, The Now and Contemporary Evening Auction this spring features examples of extraordinary creative achievement from the last 80 years.

Beginning with Postwar abstraction through to Minimalism, Pop, and into the critical postmodern inquiries from the 1980s to today, this radical new mode of art-making radically altered the course of art history. Spotlighting these developments within a unified platform, the masterworks of The Now and Contemporary Art Evening Sale call into focus the plurality of visions, identities and artistic innovations that reshaped the trajectory of art history as we know it.

These works and more will be viewable at Sotheby’s New York this May.

For assistance with bidding and registration, please contact:

+1 212 606 7414

bids.newyork@sothebys.com

For all other enquiries please contact:

Lucius Elliott

Senior Vice President

Head of Contemporary Marquee Auctions

Lucius.Elliott@sothebys.com

David Galperin

Vice Chairman

Head of Contemporary Art

David.Galperin@sothebys.com

Serena Hildebrandt

Associate Specialist, Contemporary Art

Serena.Hildebrandt@sothebys.com

Devon Mifflin

Cataloguer, Contemporary Art

Devon.Mifflin@sothebys.com

Carolyn Kim

Cataloguer, Contemporary Art

Carolyn.Kim@sothebys.com

Abbey Flamm

Pre-Sale Experience Coordinator, Contemporary Art

Abbey.Flamm@sothebys.com

Olivia Hu

Client Accounts Receivable Manager, Contemporary Art

Uspostsaleservices@sothebys.com

The Now & Contemporary Evening Auction

The Now & Contemporary Evening Auction

The Now & Contemporary Evening Auction