The Breuer building is now Sothebys November 16, 2025

 Sotheby’s bought the Breuer building which was opened in 1966 and housed the Whitney Museum until 2015 when the Whitney opened its new digs downtown. For 10 years the Breuer was a temporary home to the Met and then to the Frick while they were renovating their museum. I always liked that building and visited all of the time so I was curious as to what Sotheby’s would be doing to that museum space.I visited last week and had a mixed reaction. Clearly a museum is not encumbered with sales as its goal. They curate their shows with the intention of showcasing an artist and the work. Sotheby’s goal is to sell. So the first thing I noticed was how they chopped up some of the old open spaces in order to hang more work. I found these spaces cluttered and claustrophobic.I was happy when I found a larger area where one could breathe and finally see those oddly shaped windows facing East 75th street. Four of the six floors housed many private collections including the Len Lauder and the Pritzer family collection. The auction is Tuesday the 18th so there is not much time to see the work. It will be interesting to see how long each collection remains in the Breuer post sales. If you are wondering what Sotheby’s did to its former building on York Avenue – Cornell Weill bought the building and will expand its already large footprint in that neighborhood. Oh, by the way…Maurizio Cattelan’s America (2016) which is a fully functional toilet fashioned from just over 100 kilograms of solid 18-karat gold is in a separate room with a guard. I wonder who will buy that work. I did not bid on it.