NEW YORK, NY.- This October at Christie's, collectors have a singular opportunity to acquire works – many offered without reserve – from one of the great museums in the United States. For the last two years, the Hispanic Society Museum & Library (HSM&L) – the primary institution dedicated to the preservation, study, understanding, exhibition and enjoyment of the art and cultures of Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking countries and communities – has embarked on a rigorous collection assessment to identify areas of growth and enhancement for its world-class art holdings. While the assessment is still ongoing, the analysis of the European Old Master paintings has been completed and led to a special strategic deaccessioning sale: Property from the Hispanic Society Museum to Benefit the Collection Care and Acquisition Fund. This online auction ends 17 October; the works will be on view at Rockefeller Center 11-15 October.

Christie's Old Master Specialist in charge of the sale, Oliver Rordorf, said: "This auction offers collectors a rare opportunity to acquire works of remarkable provenance at great value, with nearly half the lots being sold without reserve. The sale traces a journey through Spanish art—from paintings inspired by Renaissance masters to works reflecting the genius of El Greco, the Golden Age of Velázquez, Murillo, and Zurbarán, and the enduring impact of Goya—and reflects America's deep and enduring fascination and respect for Spanish art and culture."

The 45 lots in the sale range from works created in past centuries, to works made in homage to these eras in modern times. The majority of pictures are Spanish School or after Spanish-School artists and religious in subject matter, but there are also Italian and Northern artists and styles, and royal, aristocratic subjects as well as landscape. The top lot of the sale is a moving depiction of Saint Dominic in Prayer, made by a talented artist in El Greco's workshop (Estimate: $100,000-150,000). An example of royal subject matter is the Portrait of Emperor Charles V (1500-1558) in an armchair (estimate: $2,000-3,000), offered without reserve. Another lot without reserve is the charming landscape, El Columpio (The Swing), painted in the middle of the 20th century in a style reminiscent of the early 19th, by Clemente Del Camino y Parladé (Seville 1907-1973). Inscriptions on the painting tell us that the artist gave this work to the noted Valencian soprano, Lucrezia Bori (born Lucrecia Borja y González de Riancho), who was a star on the Metropolitan Opera stage in New York and a descendent of the Borgia family (estimate: $2,000-3,000).

In accordance standard American museum practice as stated by the AAM (American Alliance of Museums) and the AAMD (Association of Art Museum Directors), proceeds from the sale will be restricted to support the museum's Collection Care and Acquisition Fund, which provides resources for conservation, preservation, and strategic growth of its world-renowned holdings. The sale furthers the Hispanic Society's ongoing effort to responsibly diversify and steward its collections. The works selected for this sale fall outside the Museum's core mission and were carefully chosen to enable the institution to invest more deeply in areas of strength and significance.