Christie’s is continuing its sale of the legacy of Paul G. Allen, co-founder of Microsoft. After art, it’s the turn of science and technology: a collection of 150 unique objects, sold at prices commensurate with their impact on humanity.
Christie’s is launching a memorable auction for science and technology enthusiasts this fall. On September 10, 2024, the renowned auction house will auction the collection of Paul Allen, the late co-founder of Microsoft, dedicated to innovation and the history of technology.
A first part of his collection, dedicated to the art he collected, was put up for sale between 2022 and May 2023, raising more than a billion and a half dollars in one evening. All proceeds from this sale and the next one will be donated to charity.
But why is this second part of Paul Allen’s legacy so special? It’s quite simple: the man was a very wealthy collector, who did not hesitate to trace the history of the conquest of space, computing or science by accumulating iconic objects. This unique collection, composed of 150 objects, could end up in the hands of other collectors or be exhibited in galleries commemorating the human spirit in the service of Humanity.
Space exploration at the heart of the auction
On the website dedicated to the auction, Christie’s announces the color with a superb oil on canvas by Chesley Bonestell, presenting a dreamlike landscape called Saturn seen from Titan. This painting from 1952 is obviously a fantasy and does not correspond to reality, but it shows the art of an era whose imagination was focused on progress and the extent to which the conquest of space affected artists.
The centerpiece of this part of the collection will be an object that combines advanced technology and science: a prototype of the suit designed for astronaut Edward White for the Gemini program. During Gemini 4, in 1965, White became the first American to embark on an extravehicular activity. This space suit was a first, designed with monumental and never-before-seen constraints: it had to withstand the vacuum of space. Christie’s estimates that it will sell for between $80,000 and $120,000. A small sum to have a piece of history in your living room.
Einstein’s Letter on Atomic Weapons
But on September 10, a piece of paper will cost much more than a spacesuit. Because that piece of paper in question is the one that Albert Einstein signed in 1939, to warn the United States that Nazi Germany was developing an atomic weapons program. That letter, addressed to President Roosevelt, would be the trigger for the Manhattan Project, ultimately leading to the creation of the atomic weapon and its use by the United States on Japanese cities in 1945 — the story recently told on film in Oppenheimer.
This document is a powerful testimony, which Christie’s describes in these terms: “ The letter underscores the profound impact of technology on society—its importance as well as its dangers—a reality to which Mr. Allen was keenly aware. Einstein was a staunch pacifist, and although he influenced the development of the atomic bomb, he would later tell his friend Linus Pauling, “I made a great mistake in my life—when I signed a letter to President Roosevelt recommending the making of atomic bombs.”
It’s this error Einstein’s work, which changed the history of humanity in ways that are difficult to quantify, will be auctioned by Christie’s in September. The price to have this original document in your living room? Between $4 million and $6 million.
For a different price/space ratio, buyers can purchase a PDP-10 computer, which led to the creation of Microsoft’s first product. This dinosaur of computing will cost between $30,000 and $50,000, but it will take a whole room to display it.
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