Colin Gleadell slips this little tidbit in at the end of his pre-sale report. It has already been reported that Christie’s may have offered as much as $150m for the Brody collection laying off $100m of that to third parties:
In a further sale, by various owners, Christie’s has arranged for third parties to guarantee a minimum of $36 million for works by Picasso and Giacometti. While reducing the risk, Christie’s is also reducing its potential profit on the sale. But the return of guarantee is being seen as the return of confidence in the art market.
Art Sales: Will Picasso’s Nude Hit New Record? (Telegraph)