Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
For Agnes Gund, art and activism were never separate pursuits.
Over decades she supported artists, institutions and educational initiatives, believing deeply that culture could shape society. But in 2019, she made one of her most powerful statements yet.
Gund sold Roy Lichtenstein’s 'Masterpiece', a painting she had lived with for years, to launch the Art for Justice Fund — an initiative that would distribute $125 million in grants to artists and advocates working to reform the American criminal justice system.
It was a gesture that captured her lifelong conviction: that art is not only something to admire, but something that can move the world forward.
This May, three masterworks from the Collection of Agnes Gund will be offered at Christie’s: Mark Rothko’s 'No. 15 (Two Greens and Red Stripe),' acquired directly from the artist; Cy Twombly’s 'Untitled,' painted in 1961 at the height of his expressive powers; and Joseph Cornell’s 'Untitled (Medici Princess)’, from what is widely considered his most important body of work.
🔗 Explore the story of Agnes Gund and her philanthropic legacy: christies.com/en/events/the-collection-of-agnes-gund?cid=EM_SM_O_IG_Inc_MSLP____2021CNY0525_AgnesGund___VID_LinkInBio
For Agnes Gund, art and activism were never separate pursuits.
Over decades she supported artists, institutions and educational initiatives, believing deeply that culture could shape society. But in 2019, she made one of her most powerful statements yet.
Gund sold Roy Lichtenstein’s 'Masterpiece', a painting she had lived with for years, to launch the Art for Justice Fund — an initiative that would distribute $125 million in grants to artists and advocates working to reform the American criminal justice system.
It was a gesture that captured her lifelong conviction: that art is not only something to admire, but something that can move the world forward.
This May, three masterworks from the Collection of Agnes Gund will be offered at Christie’s: Mark Rothko’s 'No. 15 (Two Greens and Red Stripe),' acquired directly from the artist; Cy Twombly’s 'Untitled,' painted in 1961 at the height of his expressive powers; and Joseph Cornell’s 'Untitled (Medici Princess)’, from what is widely considered his most important body of work.
🔗 Explore the story of Agnes Gund and her philanthropic legacy: christies.com/en/events/the-collection-of-agnes-gund?cid=EM_SM_O_IG_Inc_MSLP____2021CNY0525_AgnesGund___VID_LinkInBio
