Christie’s to ask $65 Million for the Estate of Dealer Marian Goodman
Thursday, April 9, 2026
Christie's will offer up a group of Gerhard Richter paintings from the $65 million estate of famed New York dealer Marian Goodman, who died in January.
Few gallerists have shaped the course of contemporary art as profoundly as Marian Goodman. A trailblazing New York dealer, she brought the European avant-garde to prominence in the United States from the late 1970s onward, championing artists with conviction and an unwavering belief in their work.
Her collection reflects that same clarity of vision. At its core is an exceptional group of paintings by Gerhard Richter, charting a nearly four-decade relationship with one of the most important painters of the post-war period. Across the collection, works acquired at pivotal moments sit alongside objects spanning periods and disciplines, revealing the breadth of her eye.
Richter’s masterpiece Kerze will lead Marian’s Richters & 21st Century Evening Sale, with further works from Breaking Ground: The Private Collection of Marian Goodman featured across the 20th and 21st Century Art auctions in New York.
Richter’s 1982 “Candle,” a pensive view of a white, flickering candle that the house expects to sell for at least $35 million. “Poppy,” a multicolored abstract from 1995 created using the German artist’s signature squeegee gesture is expected to sell for around $15 million.
Main Image: Gerhard Richter, Kerze (Candle), 1982. Courtesy Christie's Images LTD 2016