Massive Rockefeller art auction on tap at Christie's

A collection of artwork put together by the late billionaire David Rockefeller and his wife Peggy, which includes pieces from masters Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet and Henri Matisse, is going up for auction at Christie's New York on Tuesday evening.

The charitable auction, which will run through Thursday, is expected to fetch between $500 million and $1 billion.

The highlights of the first auction, "19th and 20th Century Art", include Picasso's Fillette a la Corbeille Fleurie (1905), a piece from the artist's "Rose Period" estimated to be worth $100 million; Henri Matisse's Odalisque Couchee aux Magnolias, one of his most prized, which is estimated at  $70 million; and Monet's Nymphéas en Fleur, which could command $50 million.

The Rockefellers' vast personal art collection was gathered during their world travels and handed down from previous generations. It includes more than 2,000 items, including modern, impressionist and American masterpieces. Rockefeller died in 2017 at the age of 101; his wife died in 1996.

The auction's proceeds will be distributed to more than a dozen charities, including Harvard University and the Museum of Modern Art, which was founded by the Rockefeller family.