Outline:
A Journey Through Time: The Vanthournout Collection
Christie’s London is set to showcase a remarkable collection of modern and contemporary artworks from the Belgian couple, Roger and Josette Vanthournout. This collection, which spans over six decades, features pieces from various art movements including Symbolism, Belgian Expressionism, Surrealism, post-war avant-garde, Minimalism, and British art from the modern and contemporary periods.
The collection has an estimated value of £40 million (approximately $53.8 million) and will be offered across three sales: an evening sale on March 5, a daytime sale on March 6, and an online auction running from February 25 to March 12. The collection is not only valuable in terms of monetary worth but also represents a deep personal journey of its collectors.
Roger Vanthournout was trained in design and decoration and established a furniture manufacturing business. His wife, Josette Vanthournout, was a painter. Their passion for collecting began in the 1950s when they started acquiring Chinese ceramics and Flemish Expressionism. Over time, their interests evolved, leading them to collect works from Surrealism, Minimalism, and postwar art.
"Spanning multiple decades and movements, the collection reflects a bold and deeply personal vision of 20th- and 21st-century art," says Oliver Cau, deputy chairman of Impressionist and modern art at Christie’s. "Begun in the mid-1950s, it is inseparable from the story of Roger and Josette themselves: a designer and a painter who collected together for more than half a century. Their postmodernist home in Belgium became a true Gesamtkunstwerk, conceived as a total work of art in which architecture, design and fine art existed in constant dialogue."
Notable Highlights
Two standout pieces in the sale carry the highest estimate of £3.5 to £5.5 million ($4.7 to $7.4 million). One is René Magritte’s La plaine de l’air (1940), depicting a tree made of one enormous leaf towering over a mountain landscape against a cloudy sky. This piece was exhibited at Galerie Dietrich in Brussels the following year. Magritte’s work has seen increased demand, with his auction record of $121.2 million set in 2024 at Christie’s New York for L’empire des lumières (1949).
Another high-value item is Henry Moore’s sculpture Goslar Warrior (1973–74), which portrays a reclining male figure—a rarity in Moore’s oeuvre. It is part of a trio that includes Warrior with Shield and Falling Warrior, both from the 1950s, depicting a fighter’s demise. Moore was inspired by Greek sculpture after visiting the country in 1951.
Pablo Picasso’s Nu debout et femmes assises (1939) is estimated at £3 to £5 million ($4 to $6.7 million). This painting dates back to when Picasso fled Paris with artist Dora Maar during World War II, settling in the French coastal town of Royan. Maar is depicted twice in shades of gray.
Several other pieces are valued between £2 to £3 million ($2.7 to $4 million). These include Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Nets (1960), created shortly after she arrived in New York and part of a series from 1958 to 1962. Lucio Fontana’s Concetto spaziale, Attese (1964) is another highlight, featuring a canvas slashed with a knife. Agnes Martin’s Untitled #17 (1996), painted in Taos, New Mexico, has been displayed at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
Max Ernst’s Seestück (1921) carries an estimate of £1.5 to £2.5 million ($2 to $3.4 million) and depicts a desert landscape dominated by a giant samovar, showcasing a Surrealist sensibility years before the movement officially emerged.
Additional Artists and Exhibitions
Other notable artists represented in the collection include Lynn Chadwick, Jean Dubuffet, Tracey Emin, Barry Flanagan, and Antony Gormley.
Highlights from the Vanthournout collection will be on display at Christie’s Brussels from January 27–28, Christie’s Hong Kong from February 3–6, New York from February 10–13, Paris from February 18–20, and in London starting February 25.
In 2006, a group of Vanthournout works were auctioned at Sotheby’s New York, where 27 pieces sold, often at extremely high prices, some setting auction records, including examples by Carl Andre and Robert Mangold.
Conclusion
The Vanthournout collection is a testament to a lifetime of artistic exploration and appreciation. From Surrealism to Minimalism, the collection offers a glimpse into the evolving tastes and passions of two individuals who dedicated over five decades to building a unique and diverse portfolio of art. As the collection goes up for sale, it promises to captivate art enthusiasts and collectors alike, offering a rare opportunity to own a piece of history.