What changed hands?
Jackson Pollock, Number 7A, 1948. From the S.I. Newhouse collection. Entered with a $100 million guarantee. Over six bidders competed.
The Newhouse collection dispersed
Pollock's Number 7A came from the S.I. Newhouse collection, one of the most significant private art collections in America. The publishing magnate's holdings fueled a record-breaking series of sales across Christie's and Sotheby's in May 2026. At 88.9 × 334 cm, it is the largest drip painting remaining in private hands.
Six bidders and a guarantee
The painting entered the sale with a $100 million guarantee. Over six bidders competed before the hammer fell at Christie's New York, pushing the result to $181.2 million. The scale of the canvas and the Newhouse provenance combined to produce the most expensive Pollock ever sold.
Read the number carefully
An auction result captures a particular object, a particular sale and the buyers competing on that occasion. It does not establish the value of every similar object, or what this one would sell for today.
Our selection keeps historical results separate from asking prices and estimates. Where the cited report does not break out fees, we say so rather than inventing a hammer price.
Sale documentation: Christie's press release — Masterpieces: The S.I. Newhouse Collection ↗
What does “source reviewed” mean?
We checked the published report against the amount and object listed here. That does not independently authenticate the object or confirm settlement of the transaction.
