50 masterpieces from the Alana Collection go to auction at Christie's

Fifty works from the world-famous Alana Collection, one of the most important private collections in the world, owned by Chilean academic, economist and businessman Álvaro Saieh and his wife Ana Guzmán (“Alana” is the acronym resulting from the initials of their names), are going up for auction at Christie’ s in New York. The sale, titled Old Masters | New Perspectives: Masterworks from the Alana Collection, will be held June 9 at New York’s Rockefeller Plaza, and includes one of the most important selections of Italian paintings, sculpture and antiquities ever to be auctioned in New York.

Passionately collected over decades, the Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque paintings in the Alana Collection comprehensively tell the story of Italian art and have gained international fame following the celebrated 2019-2020 exhibition at the Musée Jacquemart-André in Paris. Led by masterpieces by Beato Angelico by Orazio Gentileschi by El Greco and other great artists, the selection of works offered in this sale stands out not only for their exceptional artistic quality, but also for the way in which, as a group, they tell an important story. Before being offered at auction, the works will go on a global tour along with impressionist and modern works in London, Hong Kong, New York and Los Angeles. Proceeds from the sale will be donated to a charity that focuses on the arts and education. In total, Christie’s estimates that the sale of these works is expected to reach $30-50 million.

Among the masterpieces going up for auction is a touching Madonna and Child by Orazio Gentileschi (estimate $4-6 million), an example of the Tuscan painter’s refinement, painted with lapuslazzuli and other precious materials, indicating that it was made for one of the artist’s most important patrons. The Madonna and child were clearly painted from posed models, following Caravaggio’s innovative practices, but Gentileschi imbued the painting with his poetic language, rooted in the more formal painting conventions of his time. Another highlight of the collection is St. Dominic and the Stigmatization of St. Francis by Beato Angelico (estimate $4-6 million), a rare work by the early Florentine Renaissance artist, and recently displayed in an exhibition devoted to the artist held at the Prado Museum in Madrid. Originally part of a diptych, its second panel is the Madonna and Child with Four Angels at the Detroit Art Institute. Equally notable is El Greco’s Portrait of a Young Man (estimate 3-5 million euros), one of the few portraits of the artist left in private hands. The subject has been identified as Saint Louis Gonzaga. Then again, a genre scene by Bartolomeo Manfredi offers a fascinating look at daily life in early 17th-century Rome. Painted by one of Caravaggio’s most prominent early followers, this work was last seen in 2017 in the Beyond Caravaggio exhibition at the National Gallery in London. Also for sale is a stunning Madonna and Child with Saints by Luca Cambiaso, and then works by Lorenzo Monaco, Tintoretto, José de Ribera, Dosso Dossi, and Guido Reni.

“We are honored,” says François de Poortere, head of ancient paintings at Christie’s, “that we have been entrusted this spring with the auction of treasures from the Alana collection. These paintings, sculptures and works of art tell the story of Italian art from antiquity, through the Renaissance to the Baroque. Passion and connoisseurship have guided the creation of this extraordinary collection that has and will stand the test of history.”

“It is an honor to partner with the Fine Art Group to present this unique collection featuring some of the finest works of their kind ever to appear on the public market,” emphasizes Bonnie Brennan, Christie’s president for the Americas. “The profound quality and breadth of these works testify to the supreme care and vision that guided the formation of the Alana Collection. We are especially excited to debut these works alongside masterpieces from the 20th and 21st centuries, creating a dialogue across the entire history.”

50 masterpieces from the Alana Collection go to auction at Christie's

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