For three days in the April of 1996, the belongings of the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis where put on display for interested bidders to see. A total of 1195 lots in all were put up for auction including her jewelry, art collection, furniture, private letters and memoirs, clothing and even her green BMW. If you weren’t lucky enough to snag a piece of Jackie O, the nearly 600 page Sotheby’s catalogue was a nice enough gift. Filled with images and commentary about Jackie’s life and her belongings, the catalogue is something to be treasured. I found one in a used bookshop on the Upper East Side in Manhattan and was initially drawn to its connection to someone’s things. It isn’t her life at all but in some ways it’s all most people ever knew about Jackie. Her dress, her pearls, her art and the china they ate off of when they came for a dinner at her house.

So I didn’t win the $244 million lottery last night. But, the good news is, nobody else did either! So it’s now up to $266 million dollars for Tuesday night’s drawing. I’ve decided to take the idea of “The Secret” to a whole new level with, Things I could, maybe would, buy if I won the lottery. Firstly, after some calculations I’ve discovered that the total take home post-tax, post-lump sum option for a prize of $266 would be somewhere around $115m. Here’s some ideas about where all that cheeze could go, post-charity of course.

Before I bought a house I would have to buy art, to know how big the house needs to be. I’d sit front row at Sotheby’s Contemporary Evening Sale on May 12th in New York, eagerly awaiting Lot number 15.

WILLEM DE KOONING (1904 – 1997)
Sagamore

signed

oil, enamel and charcoal on paper mounted on board
22 1/2 x 28 in. 57.2 x 71.1 cm.
Executed in 1955.

ESTIMATE 3,500,000 – 4,500,000 USD

Maybe a Donald Judd for the entry area. There’ll be a sweeping skylight above it, casting a natural glow. This one would have to be go inside the Paris apartment, of course.

DONALD JUDD (1928-1994)
Untitled, 1992 (92-7 HERNANDEZ)

Cor-ten steel and black Plexiglas in six units
each: 20 x 40 x 20 in. 50.8 x 101.6 x 50.8 cm. Overall: 240 x 40 x 20 in. 609.6 x 101.6 x 50.8 cm.
Executed in 1992, this work is stamped 92-7 Judd by Hernandez on the reverse of each unit.

ESTIMATE 2,000,000 – 3,000,000 USD

For the Los Angeles estate, I’d definitely be interested in purchasing lot no. 313 from the day sale.

FLORIAN MAIER-AICHEN B. 1973

Untitled (FREEWAY CRASH)
signed and dated 2002 on a label affixed to the backing board

Cibachrome print
44 by 57 in. 111.8 by 144.8 cm.
Executed in 2002, this work is number 5 from an edition of 6 plus 2 artist’s proofs.

ESTIMATE 35,000 – 45,000 USD