Tonight, Christie's will have its Post-War and Contemporary Art auction and the highlights include a 93" x 81¼" Mark Rothko painting, Orange, Red, Yellow, and Jackson Pollock's Lot 22 from 1951. more ›

Last night, an 1895 pastel version of Edvard Munch's The Scream sold for a record-setting $119,922,500 at Sotheby's Impressionist and Modern Art Sales. The price, which included a buyer's premium, was well over the $80 million the auction house believed the iconic image would capture. more ›

A prime selection of Huguette Clark's baubles hit the auction block last night at Christie's, exceeding expectations on almost every lot. The reclusive copper heiress who died last May at age 104 had not worn—or even laid eyes upon—the jewels in over 70 years. They've been stored in a bank vault since the 1940s. Much to the delight of auctioneer Rahul Kadakia, those with a little extra pocket money snapped up seventeen dazzling items at prices well over initial estimates for a total sale of $21 million. more ›

Andy Warhol's portrait of Elvis Presley as a cowboy is headed to the auction block in Manhattan on May 9th, y'all. The "Double Elvis (Ferus Type)" silkscreen is the first to appear on the market since 1995, and is expected to go for up to $50 million at Sotheby's. more ›

Today, the auction house Sotheby's announced that it would be sellin Edvard Munch's 1895 masterpiece, The Scream, as part of its Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale in New York on May 2. Sotheby's said in a statement, "The iconic work is one of the most instantly recognizable images in both art history and popular culture, perhaps second only to the Mona Lisa. The present version of The Scream, which dates from 1895, is one of four versions of the composition and the only version still in private hands." more ›

What was one of the last meals for the first class passengers on board the Titanic? The lunch menu for the midday meal served on April 14th,1912 is now up on the auction block in the UK, and is expected to sell for $157,960 USD. The menu was on the table of Dr. Washington Dodge, a banker from San Francisco who was traveling with his wife and son. The entire family survived the tragic crash, and his wife Ruth had the menu from that afternoon, placing it in her handbag. It has been in the family since, and is one of the rarest pieces of Titanic memorabilia. more ›

Colbert-approved Linsanity shows no sign of abating! Yesterday a Lintroduction to Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin was auctioned off for $5,700 to 32-year-old Manhattanite Andrew Arnold (who, we're told, read about the auction on Gothamist!) so now the Garden of Dreams foundation is doing another auction, and this one includes an awesome bonus! But it won't come cheap. more ›

How much would you pay to meet a Linsation? That's the question raised by a CharityBuzz auction that runs until noon today. In addition to four tickets to Wednesday night's game against Sacramento, the auction also includes a chance to meet the New York Knicks' new saving grace Jeremy Lin—an out-of-the-blue basketball star you might have heard about a little here on Linthamist.com—up close and personal. And people are jumping at the chance. The auction was initially offered for $1,000 and, as of 9 a.m. had already climbed to $5,200! more ›

This is some real Antiques Roadshow stuff here. The NY Times reports that a needlework sampler crafted by a New Jersey schoolgirl named Mary Antrim in 1807 has sold at auction for $1.07 million dollars. The piece sold at Sotheby's in New York on Sunday, and features a farm scene on linen... it was estimated to go for a mere $120,000. So why did it go for so much more than that? more ›

In 1957 Jack Kerouac wrote a letter to Marlon Brando (which just sold for over $33,000 at Christies) asking him to buy the rights to On The Road and make a movie out of it, noting that they could both star in it. In his vision, the novel would be reworked to a "perfectly acceptable movie-type structure," compressing all of the separate voyages into one large journey across the country. He began the letter: more ›

Last year Rue McClanahan died in New York at the age of 76, leaving Betty White as the last remaining Golden Girl, and now items from her estate are being sold off at auction. Life is depressing. more ›

Christie's Head of Post War and Contemporary Art Europe Francis Outred explained to CBS News, "This is an image which speaks to everyman on many different levels. At its most basic, it is an astounding picture of nature, which has been scaled and detailed to take the viewer right into the scene in the way that artists have strived to do throughout history." And according to the Christie's listing, the other prints in the edition are at the "Museum of Modern Art, New York; Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich; Tate Modern, London and the Glenstone Collection, Potomac." So, it's a good deal? more ›

Next Friday, the late Dr. Jack Kevorkian's personal effects will be on the auction block right here in New York City. 140 of his items, including paintings he created with his own blood and the machine he used in more than 100 assisted suicides, will be on the block at the New York Institute of Technology. As comedian Todd Barry tweeted last night, this is a great date idea if you're in the NYC area! more ›

This practically unreadable letter says: "Dear Mary — Please make sure all the errands are done before you go on vacation, as I do not want to be bothered with insignificant things. Thank you. J.D. Salinger". If the letter does sell for the asking price of $50,000, that means the one sentence will have been written at $2,083/word. According to the Nevada-based company selling the item, the "rare handwritten letter" was to his maid, and written in 1989, which would have put him at about 70 years old at the time. more ›

Back in 2008 a tape of Marilyn Monroe performing oral sex on a man (who at least one person believed was John F. Kennedy) surfaced, and eventually was sold to a New York City man who vowed to keep it locked up. Now the Daily News reports that a new 6 1/2-minute film has been unearthed, featuring Monroe (allegedly!) in many unsavory positions. You can watch the movie here—it's very NSFW! more ›

Last year, three years after CBGB founder Hilly Kristal died, a bankruptcy judge ruled that the late Kristal’s estate is the rightful owner of the club’s assets, including its name. At the time, the estate already said they were trying to find potential buyers, and now Bloomberg News reports that they'll be auctioning it off. more ›

Everyone's favorite art rock noisemakers Sonic Youth are well known for their bizarre tunings and extensive collection of gear—they even have an inventory of all their guitar equipment on their website for gearheads and music nerds. And now, they've started putting some of it on eBay for charity! more ›

Considering how well the auction of Bernie Madoff's junk went last year is it any surprise that his wine collection did boffo business on the auction block as well? Yesterday's auction of more than 250 bottles of wine and liquor in 59 lots sold for $41,530—$20,000 dollars more than the highest pre-bid estimate for the set. Somebody even spent $300 to buy four airline-size bottles of booze! more ›

Drink your way through a little bit of Ponzi-tainted history next week, when the personal wine collection of one Bernie Madoff goes up on the auction block at Morrell & Co. Will the taste of pyramid schemes be smooth and earthy, or robust and fruity? You'll have to bid to find out. more ›

Back in March restaurateur Chris Cannon closed his duo of Italian restaurants Alto and Convivio. Besides being sad to see two beloved restaurants go, a number of oenophiles we know were bummed to see the restaurants impressive wine lists slip away as well. So, if you were anything like our friends, you'll be happy to know that the duo's wine cellars are being auctioned off tomorrow morning. more ›

Forget bake sales (they're illegal anyway), when you've got Madonna as a mom you can raise funds for your school in a much more fashionable (and low-calorie) way: by raiding her closet! Madonna has donated a pair of her Chanel boots to her daughter Lourdes's school, the LaGuardia Arts High School in Manhattan. They'll become part of an annual auction to raise money, joining about 100 other items (including a private "sex therapy session"—donated by someone's parent? Embarrassing!). more ›

How much would you pay for some clothes worn by Courtney Love herself? Some of her signature silk slips and babydoll dresses are now up on the auction block at eBay! It seems Courtney herself (or rather, her minions) have launched an account called Courtney Love Couture, with items ranging from shoes to dresses, and prices from $200 to $3,000. Some even contain authentic cigarette burns and mysterious white stains! more ›