Elaine Wynn’s art collection, valued at $75 million, to be auctioned

Several masterpieces from the estate of a member of Las Vegas royalty are being auctioned Monday.

“Elaine: The Collection of Elaine Wynn” is being presented by Christie’s luxury auction house during the 20th and 21st Century Art auctions in New York. According to Christie’s, Wynn’s collection is valued at more than $75 million.

Wynn died in April at age 82 at her residence Los Angeles.

The pieces come from Wynn’s homes in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York. From the company’s description of the event, the artworks include paintings by Richard Diebenkorn, Joseph Mallord William Turner, Joan Mitchell, Fernand Léger, as well as Georges Seurat, Henri Matisse and Wayne Thiebaud.

“The collected works chart the transition from Realism to Impressionism and subsequent modern art movements and schools,” Christie’s description states.

A highlight in the 20th-century evening sale at 4 p.m. Pacific time is one of Diebenkorn’s finest Ocean Park series paintings, “Ocean Park #40, 1971.” The oil and charcoal on canvas is listed with an estimated value of $15 million-$25 million. Wynn displayed the piece in her Los Angeles residence.

Also listed is Wynn’s Joan Mitchell piece “Sunflower V, 1969” oil on canvas, estimated value $12 million-$18 million.

The evening sale, where the most valuable pieces are presented, is 4 p.m. Pacific time Monday (go to to Christie’s.com for intel).

Wynn was a famously active collector, starting the 1980s, a passion she shared with her daughters, Kevyn and Gillian Wynn.

“My mother was a visceral collector who just happened to gravitate toward art that would become, if not already, objectively substantial,” Gillian Wynn said in an essay published in the Christie’s catalog. “In this manner, she amassed a collection that was both deeply personal and admirably legit.”

Kevyn Wynn added, “Our mother lived a life filled with passion, conviction and grace. She had uncompromising standards and we have every confidence that Christie’s will uphold her vision and legacy.”

Wynn was a board member of Los Angeles County Museum of Art for a decade up to her death. She was a driving force behind plans for the Las Vegas Museum of Art, a partnership with LACMA, to open in Symphony Park in 2029.

As the Wynn estate releases the collection, LACMA will receive Francis Bacon’s “Three Studies of Lucian Freud (1969).” Wynn paid $142.2 million for the piece at a Christie’s auction in 2013. At the time, the painting broke the record for the most expensive artwork to ever sell at auction.

“Whilst releasing this collection strikes a sentimental chord, I am reminded that the true gift of my mother’s collecting is the love, passion, and conviction that she modeled and passed on to me,” Gillian Wynn said. “And it will forever be in the falling in love that I remember her most.”

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.