Twelve Lots, $450 Million: Sotheby's New York Builds a Sale Around Van Gogh, Cézanne and Pissarro

Sotheby's in New York is putting together one of the most concentrated sales of the autumn auction calendar. It has just twelve works, and the total attached to it is $450 million. Paintings by Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cézanne and Camille Pissarro head the group. With a list that short, each of the three names carries real weight. A twelve-lot sale leaves no room for filler. Every picture on the wall at preview has to hold attention alone, and a visitor can take in the whole offering in one unhurried walk. For collectors in New York, it is one of the season's set pieces, held in the city where it will change hands. The figure is large and the list is small, and that pairing is the story here.

With reporting from Galerie.