Sotheby's celebrates former chairman with US$500m sale of his art collection

New York

WHEN Alfred Taubman, the chairman of Sotheby's, was convicted of leading a price-fixing scheme with Christie's and sent to prison in 2002, the scandal rocked the elite auction world and reverberated throughout Manhattan. He left under a cloud.

What a difference a few years (and US$500 million worth of connoisseur art) make. Now, Sotheby's is celebrating Mr Taubman - who died in April at 91 - pulling out all the stops to promote the sale, beginning on Nov 4, of his extensive art collection, from old masters like Raphael to 20th century masterworks by Modigliani, Matisse, Picasso, Schiele and de Kooning.