Titans of American abstract expressionism at Sotheby's

Mnuchin's personal collection could make $130m

Franz Kline - Harleman 1960.

Art by the titans of American Abstract Expressionism - Franz Klein, Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko - from the collection of dealer and financier Robert Mnuchin could make more than $130 million at a dedicated evening auction by Sotheby's in New York on May 14. Led by Rothko's monumental 1957 canvas Brown and Black in Reds a total of 24 works from the collection will be offered in the standalone sale.

Mnuchin, who died aged 92 last December, loved going to auctions where he was known for shouting out his bids. A New Yorker who graduated from Yale in 1955, he served in the US Army and joined Goldman Sachs in 1957. After a 33-year career there he retired at 56 to pursue a career in art and became a legendary dealer.