PRESS RELEASE
PHILLIPS UNVEILS LINEUP FOR
MODERN & CONTEMPORARY ART SALES
The Sales on 5 & 7 March are Led by
Danish Masterworks from the Collection of Ambassador John L. Loeb
Vilhelm Hammershøi
Interior of Woman Placing Branches in Vase on Table (Interiør med kvinde, der stiller grene i et glas, Strandgade 30), 1900
Estimate £1,500,000 - £2,000,000
LONDON – 24 FEBRUARY 2026 – Phillips is proud to announce further highlights of the Modern & Contemporary Art auctions in London on 5 and 7 March. Leading the Evening Sale is Vilhelm Hammershøi’s Interior of Woman Placing Branches in Vase on Table from the Collection of Ambassador John L. Loeb, a landmark collection that will be presented across Phillips’ London and New York salesrooms this season. Further highlights include notable works by Andy Warhol, Banksy and El Anatsui alongside two prominent groups: Minimalist Masterworks: Property of a Distinguished European Collector, showcasing works by Donald Judd and Brice Marden, while A Life of Collecting: Works From An Important Belgian Collector Couple, presents a painting by Tracey Emin and a sculpture by Rebecca Warren. Contemporary stars Lucy Bull, Derek Fordjour and Joseph Yaeger are also presented in the Evening Sale.
The preview exhibition is open at Phillips’ Berkeley Square from 26 February, remaining on view throughout both sales: the Evening Sale on 5 March at 4pm and the Modern & Contemporary Art Sale on 7 March at 12pm.
Olivia Thornton, Phillips’ Deputy Chairwoman and Head of Modern & Contemporary Art, Europe, said, “We are delighted to present this exciting line-up of works for our March Modern & Contemporary Art auctions in London. This season, we are proud to offer a sale that brings together celebrated 20th and 21st-century artists, from the discerning eye of the Collection of Ambassador John L. Loeb, which foregrounds the international importance of Scandinavian Modernism, to the minimalist work by Donald Judd and the inventive materiality of El Anatsui. London remains a vital crossroads for collectors and institutions alike, and we look forward to sharing these highlights with our global audience during the exhibition and auction.”
Scandinavian Modernism
The Collection of Ambassador John L. Loeb stands as one of the most important private collections of Danish artwork ever assembled, and it will be prominently featured in the Evening Sale, with four works offered on 5 March, and a further 24 on 7 March. In dialogue with the Scandinavian masterworks from Ambassador Loeb’s collection, the section will also include the Norwegian painter Harald Sohlberg’s Autumn at Leangbukten, Oslofjord (Höst ved Leangbukten, Oslofjord), painted in 1926. The appearance of these exceptional works comes amid an international re-assessment of Scandinavia’s contributions to the Modernist movement. This is reflected in several institutional exhibitions — from the travelling exhibition Northern Lights at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum and at the Fondation Beyeler, thematic Nordic surveys such as that at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to Anna Ancher: Painting Light at the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London. Meanwhile, Hammershøi: The Eye That Listens, the first major retrospective in Spain devoted to the artist recently opened at the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza and will travel to Kunsthaus Zürich.
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