Is There an Entry Point for a New Collector in a Sale Led by a $35 Million Modigliani?
Last updated: 30 October 2026
In short: Yes, though not on the auction floor. Phillips' New York evening sale, which begins 17 November 2026, lists ten lots, from a Joseph Yaeger estimated at $80,000 to $120,000 up to a Modigliani at $28 million to $35 million. Even the lowest lot is a sale-room price. A first painting can begin somewhere slower: with a living painter, a wall at home and time to look. Clyfford Still asked people to look at the work itself.
What does the Phillips sale actually list?
Phillips' page for its Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale in New York says the sale begins on 17 November 2026 at 4:30 pm ET at 432 Park Avenue, with viewing from 7 to 17 November. It lists ten lots with estimates. Amedeo Modigliani's Tête leads at $28 million to $35 million, followed by David Hockney's David, Celia, Stephen and Ian, London 1982 at $10 million to $15 million. Clyfford Still's Untitled is estimated at $4 million to $6 million, Frank Stella's Port Tampa City at $3 million to $5 million, and Agnes Martin's Untitled #6 at $3.5 million to $4.5 million.
Helen Frankenthaler appears twice: Peacock Alley at $2 million to $3 million and Seabreeze at $1.5 million to $2.5 million. François-Xavier Lalanne's Babouin is $1.5 million to $2.5 million, and Fernando Botero's Woman on a Horse is $800,000 to $1.2 million. The lowest estimate on the page belongs to Joseph Yaeger's My determinate, at $80,000 to $120,000.
Set the two ends side by side. The Modigliani's low estimate is more than two hundred times the Yaeger's high estimate, and both hang in the same evening.
Is an estimate a measure of how good a painting is?
An estimate is the auction house's forecast of what a lot may bring. It is a statement about a market on a given night, not a verdict on a surface. The page itself shows how loosely the number follows the painter: two Frankenthalers in one sale carry two different ranges.
Clyfford Still, whose Untitled is one of the lots, left a plainer instruction in his own words, as the Clyfford Still Museum records them: “People should look at the work itself and determine its meaning to them.” (The museum's list gives no date or source document for the remark.) He also wrote, “I do not intend to oversimplify – in fact, I revel in the extra-complex.” A painting built that way pays you back on the second and third look, and no estimate can do that part for you.
Where does a first-time buyer's range begin?
The lowest lot on the page is still a sale-room price, and a sale room is one particular way to buy: a paddle, a date set by the auctioneer, and other people bidding against you. A first original does not have to begin there.
Mark Rothko wanted his paintings seen “in a scale of normal living rather than an institutional scale,” according to Art UK's guide to looking at his work (the remark is undated there). That is a useful test for a first purchase. Ask what the painting does in a room at home, in your light, on an ordinary Tuesday.
What does buying from the painter look like?
I sell direct, with no gallery representation, and about fifty original paintings are ready to ship at any time. I send multiple pre-ship videos of every finished work, so you can see how the surface behaves in real light before anything leaves the studio. A painting ships rolled to a framer near you, is stretched on arrival and is hand-delivered ready to hang.
If nothing ready-made fits the wall, a commission starts with a conversation. A deposit secures the slot, I paint two finished options at once, and there are two rounds of revisions. From deposit to delivery takes about four weeks, depending on the studio schedule.
How can a first-time buyer judge an original without an estimate?
Use three questions. Does the painting keep your attention on the third viewing, and not only the first? Can the painter say how the surface was built? And does it hold up in the light of the room where it will hang?
Browse available originals, read how a commission works from conversation to delivery, and learn about the studio. Designers can see the Trade Program.
Frequently asked questions
What is the lowest estimate among the lots Phillips lists for its November 2026 evening sale?
Of the ten lots on Phillips' sale page, the lowest estimate is Joseph Yaeger's My determinate, at $80,000 to $120,000. The highest is Amedeo Modigliani's Tête, at $28 million to $35 million.
What does an auction estimate mean?
It is the auction house's forecast range for what a lot may sell for. It reflects the market for a particular work on a particular day and says little about whether a painting will hold your attention at home.
Where can a first-time buyer start collecting original art?
Many people begin with a living painter, a wall they know and a chance to look first. Buying direct lets you ask how the surface was built, see more than one video of the finished painting, and, if nothing ready-made fits, start a commission.
Can I buy an original painting without bidding at auction?
Yes. Buying direct from the painter means no paddle and no sale date. Originals ready to ship are listed on the studio's site, and a commission begins with a conversation.