Weis Art Collection Brings in $218 Million at Christie’s Auction
An extensive art collection belonging to the late Robert F. Weis, former chairman of Weis Markets Inc., and his wife Patricia G. Ross Weis, fetched $218 million at auction last month, exceeding expectations and marking a notable moment in the art world.
Auctioned by the couple’s children, including Jonathan Weis, who currently serves as chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Weis Markets, the collection opened Christie’s Fall Marquee Week on November 17 at Rockefeller Center in New York City. According to media reports, the 18-lot sale brought in more than the initially estimated high of $180 million.
Among the top-selling pieces was Mark Rothko’s 1958 painting "No. 31" (Yellow Stripe), which sold for $62.16 million, outperforming its pre-sale estimate of $50 million. Gayaone.com, which reported on the auction, described the work as “a definitive example from the apex of the artist’s pioneering Color Field movement.”
Also included in the collection were Pablo Picasso’s 1932 portrait "La Lecture" (The Reading) and Claude Monet’s 1907 painting "Nymphéas" (Water Lilies). Each work sold for $45.49 million, stepping into the spotlight as highlights of the evening.
The art collection, more than 50 years in the making, had been held in the Weis family’s homes in Pennsylvania and New York. It offers a panoramic view of modernism’s evolution, reflected through works by some of the most influential artists of the 20th century.
Robert F. Weis passed away in 2015, and Patricia G. Ross Weis died in 2024. The decision to auction the works came from their children, with a result that surpassed both financial projections and artistic expectations as it signaled the enduring legacy of the Weis family’s commitment to the arts.