Art collection of late Paul Allen, who co-founded Microsoft becomes the most expensive ones to be offered for sale

On Wednesday, auctioneers announced the most expensive art collection that would be put up for bid.

The collection belonged to the late Paul Allen, who co-founded Microsoft with his childhood friend Bill Gates in 1975. Agence France-Presse, a French news organisation, said that the is worth an astounding $1 billion. There are 150 pieces in it by famous artists like Van Gogh, Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, and Jasper Johns.

Johanna Flaum, who is the vice-chairman of 20th and 21st Century Art at auctioneers Christie’s, said, ‘I think this is a sale that sort of exhausts superlatives. This is… the most valuable collection ever sold at auction. It’s really a once-in-a-generation type of event. The collection is quite wide-ranging, it really makes Paul Allen a unique collector in that sense.’

The Macklowe collection, which sold for $922 million, was the previous record-holder, but Allen’s collection exceeds it.

On November 9 and 10, the auction will be held in New York. As per Allen’s wishes, the proceeds from the collection will be given to charity.

Before the sale, pieces of the collection will be available for viewing in Los Angeles, London, Paris, Shanghai, and New York.