translated by Giorgina Arcuri

Haaken A. Christensen was one of the most influent figures within the international art system for his very sophisticated taste in collecting works of art. For more than forty years, Christensen kept alive one of the most important galleries in Scandinavia, always trying to propose the best of international contemporary art to Norway and show the works of Norwegian artists abroad.
Haaken A. Christensen was born in 1924 and thanks to his exceptional intuition for business he went to down in history as one of the most important and influent dealers and experts in Europe. His collection, which includes works executed with different art techniques, is centred on modern and contemporary art, with some interest towards French 20th-century art. Indeed, in 1987 France conferred on him the title of Chevalier de l’Ondre des Art er des Lettres.
The rich collector’s passion for art developed when he was young. While he was still a student he represented the artist Gunnar S. Gundersen, who was then unheard of. One of his first important successes was the commission he received for the sale of a series of paintings from Sigri Welhaven’s collection, including an important painting executed by Henri Matisse in 1907 entitled “La Coiffure”. From that moment onwards Christensen’s rise met no obstacle. He started travelling constantly, mainly in France, where he made friends with Danien-Henry Kahnweiler, the first dealer of Picasso, Braque and of Cubism. Next to his extraordinary trading activity, the Norwegian art gallery manager also found time to build a personal collection that has always captured the attention of the world of art. The main attention of his collection is directed to Pablo Picasso’s works, but also to artists like Henri Matisse, Fernand Lèger, Georges Rouault and Georges Braque.
Deceased a few months ago, the rich Norwegian art gallery manager surprised everyone with his last testamentary wills: 63 works from his collection, estimated totally at about 10 million pounds, will go to Sotheby’s with the assignment to auction them and give the sale earnings in charity to Mèdecins San Frontières (MSF) – one of the worldwide leaders in the organization of humanitarian aid. But the generous offer goes further. Mr Christensen decided to give other properties to the no-profit organization. Well, the total value of the legacy sums up to about 20 million pounds. Marc DuBois, director of MSF in Great Britain, has recently declared that Christensen’s donation is the highest legacy ever received by his organization.
But how will Sotheby’s manage the sale of the famous Scandinavian patron’s collection? It has been recently announced that Haaken A. Christensen’s 63 works will be sold between June and October.
Furthermore, the auction house declared through Helena Newman: “We are enthusiast to offer this exceptional collection. Haaken A. Christensen had an impeccable eye, and his collection takes right to the heart of the modernist movement” – adding that this donation – “is almost a case without precedent in our experience”.
The most important section of the Haaken A. Christensen collection will be auctioned in London on 25th June in the “Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale”. In this exceptional sale, Sotheby’s will present four canvases by Pablo Picasso and one by Fernand Lèger. The first work by Picasso is a beautiful painting portraying the surrealist photographer Dora Maar and will be presented with an estimate included between 3 and 5 million pounds. To follow “Homme au maillot rayè”, a self-portrait of the Spanish artist executed in 1955 (estimate 900 thousand – 1.2 million pounds), “Femme au chapeau assise” (estimate 700-900 thousand pounds), “Nature morte au poron” (estimate 600-800 thousand pounds). Next to Picasso’s four works, “L’araignèe verte” will be auctioned, an abstract painting by Lèger that will start with an estimate of 400-600 thousand pounds. The other works of this magnificent collection will be presented at the modern art auction on 26th June and at the Day Sale that will auction works by Henri Matisse, Georges Braque and George Rouault. Other masterpieces executed for instance by Pierre Alechinsky, Karel Appel and Asger Jorn will be presented at the contemporary auction on 2nd July, while 36 prints by Picasso (estimate between 3 and 60 thousand pounds) will be offered on 2nd October by Sotheby’s.