A landmark Jackson Pollock painting has sold for $181 million (£135 million) at Christie’s in New York, setting a new auction record for the late American artist. The work, Number 7A, 1948, came from the private collection of media magnate SI Newhouse and is now considered one of the most expensive artworks ever sold at auction.
A Historic Sale for Abstract Expressionism
Jackson Pollock’s Number 7A, 1948 went under the hammer on Monday at Christie’s, where it far surpassed the artist’s previous auction record.
The sale price of $181 million not only made it the most expensive Pollock work ever sold at auction, but also placed it as the fourth most expensive artwork ever sold at auction, according to ARTnews.
The previous auction record for Pollock stood at $61.2 million for Number 17, 1951, which sold in 2021. While some Pollock works have reportedly sold for higher amounts in private sales, this latest result marks a major public milestone for the artist’s market.
The Painting That Changed Modern Art
Pollock, who died in 1956, remains one of the defining figures of the abstract expressionist movement. His famous drip painting technique became one of the most recognizable and widely imitated styles in modern art.
Number 7A, 1948 features black streams of paint with touches of red across a massive canvas measuring more than three metres. Christie’s described the work as a turning point in art history, writing: “It is with this work that Pollock finally frees himself from the shackles of conventional easel painting and produces one of the first truly abstract paintings in the history of art.”
That description helped frame the painting not simply as a valuable object, but as a defining moment in the evolution of modern abstraction.
SI Newhouse Collection Draws Global Attention
The painting came from the private collection of SI Newhouse, the late media magnate known for assembling an important group of modern and contemporary artworks.
Pollock’s record-breaking sale was not the only major result from the collection. A bronze sculpture by Romanian artist Constantin Brancusi sold for $107.6 million, making it the second-highest amount ever paid for a sculpture at auction.
The strong results showed the enduring power of museum-quality works with major provenance, especially when they come from respected private collections.
Rothko and Miró Also Break Records
The Christie’s auction also included works by Mark Rothko and Joan Miró, both of which broke previous auction records for those artists.
Together, the sales highlighted a powerful night for modern art, with collectors showing continued appetite for rare, historically significant works by major 20th-century figures.
A New Benchmark for Pollock’s Legacy
The $181 million sale of Number 7A, 1948 places Jackson Pollock’s work in an even higher tier of the global art market. More than seven decades after it was painted, the piece continues to represent a radical break from tradition and a defining chapter in abstract art. Its record-breaking auction result confirms Pollock’s lasting influence, both as an artistic innovator and as one of the most valuable names in modern art.
