Art that once hung in the Fort Worth, Texas, home that was shared by the billionaire Sid Bass and his first wife Anne will be part of Christie’s Spring Marquee Week in May.
The trove is from the modernist house that the couple commissioned the highly regarded late architect Paul Rudolph to design in Sid Bass’ hometown. Before becoming an investor and philanthropist, Sid Bass first spotted Rudolph’s expertise when he was an undergraduate at Yale University. While the Rudolph-designed Art & Architecture Building was under construction on campus, the oil heir took it upon himself to tour the construction site. After he and Anne married a few years later, the couple was so intent on enlisting Rudolph to create a home that they were said to have spent a year drafting a letter for their request. The end result was what the architecture Paul Goldberger once described as “one of the great achievements of not only Rudolph’s prolific career, but of American architecture.”
But it wasn’t just the bones of the house that the Basses were interested in. The skylights and walls were mapped out with some consideration about how the artwork would be displayed in the natural light.
Bidders at Christie’s will find nine works in the “20th Century Evening Sale” next month including creations by Mark Rothko, Ellsworth Kelly, Alexander Calder, Frank Stella, Agnes Martin, Gino Severini and Morris Louis. Some of the “Art from the Bass House” highlights are expected to be Rothko’s “Number 4, Two Dominants (Orange, Plum and Black),” which is expected to fetch in the region of $35 million when it goes under the gavel. Kelly’s “Blue, Black, Red” is expected to sell between $4 million and $6 million, and Martin’s “Untitled #1” and “Untitled #2” have pre-sale estimates of $3.5 million and between $1.5 million and $2.5 million respectively. Louis’ “Gamma Upsilon” is expected to sell between $2 and $3 million.
In addition, Severini’s “Danseuse” has a pre-auction listing of $1.5 million to $2.5 million. That work was said to be a favorite of the late Anne Bass, who was a benefactor of the New York City Ballet. The arts patron, socialite and avid gardener died in 2020 at the age of 78.
Mark Rothko’s “Number 4, Two Dominants (Orange, Plum and Black).”
Photo by Martien Mulder/Courtesy
Before any final bids are made next month, the art from the Fort Worth house will be on view in Christie’s Rockefeller Center galleries. Bass-owned art performed strongly at a Christie’s sale in 2022, when the “Sale of the Anne H. Bass Collection” raked in more than $363 million.
