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Gerhard Richter, Franz Kline and the Art Marian Goodman Never Let Go

As the legendary dealer's collection heads to the block, Christie's Vice Chairman of 20th and 21st Century Art Johanna Flaum reflects on a sale that doubles as an intimate portrait of a woman who spent six decades reshaping the art world from the inside.

It’s art week in New York, and while this week is all about the fairs, next week all eyes will be on the auctions. A certain kind of art history head will no doubt be visiting Christie's this weekend, eager for their last chance to see highlights from the collection of Marian Goodman, one of the greatest dealers in the business, who passed earlier this year. We caught up with Johanna Flaum, Christie’s Vice Chairman of 20th and 21st Century Art, to hear more about this important group of works and how they will be sold.

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Congratulations on landing this banner consignment! Breaking Ground is structured across three sales: the Evening Sale on May 20, the Day Sale on May 21 and a 53-lot online auction running May 8-22, with the whole group estimated at around $65 million. How did the three-tiered structure get decided, and who decides what goes where?

We’re really excited for this collection. Marian Goodman played such a crucial role in shaping the landscape of contemporary art today, so we felt it was important to present her collection in a way that felt authentic and personal to her life and legacy. We decided to take a multipronged approach in constructing the sale. First, we focused on the Richters. Gerhard Richter and Marian Goodman had a decades-long partnership, and his works were the core of her collection and her home for nearly half a century. Richter’s artworks were the pieces that Ms. Goodman chose to live with, more than any other artist. We felt it was critical to recognize that with a headlining moment in our 21st Century Evening Sale on May 20.

The second element we took into consideration was the composition of the Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale on May 21. Through this platform, we wanted to provide a comprehensive look at a wider range of what Ms. Goodman chose to surround herself with, and a more nuanced........

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