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Sotheby’s is poised to present a landmark auction in New York this May 2025, featuring Alberto Giacometti’s masterful Homme à l’épée (Tête), a bronze sculpture estimated at $50 million to $70 million. This exceptional work, conceived in 1947 and cast in 1951, hails from the esteemed collection of the late Thomas A. Saunders III, a distinguished financier instrumental in funding the Apollo missions, and his wife, Jordan Saunders. Acquired in 1965 from the Pierre Matisse Gallery, the sculpture has remained a cherished cornerstone of their collection, unseen at auction for nearly six decades.
Homme à l’épée (Tête) epitomizes Giacometti’s postwar oeuvre, with its elongated, existential form, openwork construction, and textured surface capturing the fragility of the human condition. Comparable to his celebrated Le Nez, which fetched $78.4 million at Sotheby’s in 2021, this piece is a pinnacle of 20th-century art. The Saunders collection, curated with guidance from George Wachter, Sotheby’s chairman and co-worldwide head of Old Master Paintings, also includes Old Master paintings valued at $80 million to $120 million, yet the Giacometti sculpture commands the spotlight. Bolstered by a third-party guarantee, its sale is assured, a strategic move by Sotheby’s amid a 23 percent decline in global sales to $6 billion in 2024, reflecting a cautious art market.
Recent Giacometti sales, such as Femme Leoni at $22.3 million at Christie’s in 2024 and Buste (Tête tranchante)estimated at $10 million to $15 million at Sotheby’s, affirm the artist’s enduring appeal. This auction intertwines artistic brilliance, historical significance, and financial prowess, amplified by Saunders’ legacy in the Apollo program. For those captivated by luxury, culture, and collecting, this sale promises to be a defining moment in the art world.
