Sotheby’s sold its second offering of works from the collection for US$246.1 million (RM1.08 billion), bringing the total value of the group of paintings to US$922.2 million, a spokesman told AFP.

That exceeds the US$835.1 million that the Rockefeller collection sold for in 2018, then the highest total ever made by a single private collection at auction.

Among the highlights of yesterday evening’s sale were Mark Rothko’s “Untitled”, which fetched US$48 million, and Gerhard Richter’s “Seestück”, which went for US$30.2 million.

Andy Warhol’s “Self Portrait” sold for US$18.7 million, while Willem de Kooning’s “Untitled” went for US$17.8 million.

Sotheby’s won the rights to sell the Macklowe works in September. It sold 35 of the pieces in November for US$676.1 million, before selling the remaining 30 yesterday.

Sotheby’s had described the paintings as the “most significant collection of modern and contemporary art to ever appear on the market”.

During divorce proceedings, Harry Macklowe and his ex-wife Linda had been unable to agree on how much the vast collection was worth.

A New York judge ruled in 2018 that the they should sell all 65 works and split the profits.