Reuters reports that Christie’s will be selling one of the few remaining Matisse Back sculptures that is in private hands during its November 3rd sale in New York. The work is estimated to $35 million:

“Conceived on an epic scale, Back IV is a powerfully reductive expression of the human form that stands as a milestone in the evolution of modernist style,” said Conor Jordan, the head of Impressionist and Modern Art for Christie’s Americas. […] As our upcoming sale represents the first time that any of the Back sculptures has ever been offered at auction, we expect tremendous enthusiasm from collectors around the world who will recognize this superb bronze as one of the most important sculptural achievements of the 20th century,” he explained. […] Among the 12 “Back IV” works produced, all but two are in museum collections including MOMA, London’s Tate Modern and the Pompidou Center in Paris.

Matisse bronze could fetch $35 million at auction (Reuters)