Guston’s Mirror Head Sells for $5.2 Million at Christie’s
By Darren Smith, Arts Reporter
August 8, 2026
In the sweltering heat of a London summer evening last June, the salesroom at Christie’s King Street witnessed a measured but telling moment for the postwar and contemporary art market. A monumental painting by Philip Guston titled Mirror Head (1977) led a carefully curated selection of works from the collection of Anita and Poju Zabludowicz, achieving just under £4 million, or approximately $5.2 million, including fees. The result formed the centerpiece of an evening that ultimately totaled £25.7 million ($34 million) across two successive sales, underscoring both the enduring appeal of established modern masters and the selective nature of current collector demand.
The Zabludowicz portion of the evening, titled “Beyond Ordinary – Then. Now. Next. Works from the Zabludowicz Collection,” offered 56 lots drawn from a holdings that has long numbered in the thousands. Three works were withdrawn before the sale, leaving 53 to cross the block. The section realized £15.4 million to £15.5 million ($20.3 million to $20.5 million) with fees, landing squarely within its pre-sale estimate range of roughly £12.6 million to £19.3 million. Sell-through rates reached 89 percent by lot and an impressive 97 percent by value, a solid performance even if the atmosphere remained more tempered than frenetic. Auctioneer Yü-Ge Wang navigated the room with characteristic poise, at one point lightening the mood by remarking on the heat and checking whether the air conditioning was functioning properly.
Mirror Head itself proved the clear standout. Measuring nearly three meters across, the oil on canvas depicts the back of Guston’s wife Musa McKim’s head as she appears to confront her own hazy reflection. Executed in 1977, the year Musa suffered a series of strokes, the painting belongs to the artist’s late figurative period, when he had decisively moved away from pure abstraction toward deeply personal, often introspective imagery. Rich reds, mauves, and blacks define the textured hair, while softer tones suggest the mirrored form. Estimated at £3.5 million to £5.5 million, the work sold for £3.9 million to £4 million, accounting for roughly a third of the Zabludowicz sale’s total value. It carried a third-party guarantee, a common mechanism that helped ensure its placement.
Other strong results from the same collection included an 11-foot-wide mixed-media collage by Mark Bradford, Farther South and Elsewhere (2015), which brought £1.3 million ($1.7 million) within estimate. A 10-foot-wide work by Rashid Johnson, Untitled Broken Crowd (2021), achieved £952,500 ($1.3 million), also within expectations. A 1994 Richard Prince Untitled (Cowboy) exceeded its estimate to reach £1.6 million ($2.1 million). Additional notable lots featured pieces by Damien Hirst, Antony Gormley, Rose Wylie—whose Sailing Boat (2015) set a new auction record for the artist—and Yoshitomo Nara, reflecting the breadth of the Zabludowiczs’ long-term engagement with both British and international contemporary art.
Anita and Poju Zabludowicz began collecting in the mid-1990s and built one of the most significant private holdings of contemporary art in the United Kingdom. Their project space in north London operated from 2007 until its closure in 2023. The decision to consign this group of works has been described by the auction house as undertaken “in a spirit of renewal,” with the collection now directed by their daughter Tiffany and remaining oriented toward the future. Many of the pieces offered had been acquired early in artists’ careers and were fresh to the secondary market, adding provenance value that appealed to discerning buyers.
The broader evening continued with a separate 79-lot sale of postwar and contemporary art that contributed the remaining £10.2 million ($13.5 million). Across both segments, the combined $34 million total reflected a market that rewards quality and proven names while remaining cautious about more speculative material. Seven lots in the Zabludowicz sale carried third-party guarantees, providing additional security. Bidding stayed disciplined; several works sold within or just above low estimates, and a handful of lower-value pieces offered without reserve achieved only modest sums.
Market observers noted that the results align with broader trends observed throughout the 2026 auction season. Established artists with strong institutional followings continue to perform reliably, while works by once-emerging names from the late 2000s and early 2010s have faced more variable reception. The Guston price, though not a record for the artist, reinforced the strength of his late figurative market, which has seen sustained interest from both private collectors and institutions in recent years. Further details on the full results can be found in Christie’s official post-sale reports and contemporary coverage from ARTnews and Artnet News.
The Zabludowicz Collection has long been recognized for its willingness to support artists at formative stages of their careers. By releasing a selection of mature works by figures such as Guston, Bradford, Johnson, and Prince, the family has both realized returns on long-held investments and signaled a strategic shift. An accompanying online sale of 44 additional lots, which concluded several days later, met with more mixed results, underscoring the difference in demand between blue-chip material and mid-tier contemporary works. Readers interested in the collection’s ongoing activities can explore updates via the Zabludowicz Collection website or review related market analysis on The Art Newspaper.
For those following the secondary market closely, the June sale at Christie’s offered a clear snapshot of current priorities: scale, historical significance, and emotional resonance continue to command attention. Mirror Head stands as a particularly poignant example—an intimate yet monumental meditation on presence, absence, and reflection that resonated with bidders even on a warm summer night. Additional context on Guston’s late work is available through the Estate of Philip Guston resources.
As the art market navigates economic and geopolitical uncertainties, evenings such as this one demonstrate that carefully selected works of genuine quality retain their capacity to attract committed buyers. Collectors, advisors, and enthusiasts seeking deeper insight into upcoming sales or historical performance data are encouraged to consult primary sources and trusted market reports regularly. Stay informed, engage with the work itself whenever possible, and continue supporting the artists and institutions that shape the cultural landscape.
Cover image has been Ai generated
