Lindsay Pollack goes to the library to find out that the seller of the Rothko at Sotheby’s is Agnes Gund’s brother, Graham:

A delicate yellow-and-orange 1955 Mark Rothko is another Sotheby’s highlight, with a high estimate of $30 million. The undisclosed seller is Boston architect Graham Gund and wife Ann, who are listed in the Rothko catalog of works as the owners. Gund is the brother of New York art patron Agnes Gund. The Gunds have owned the Rothko for 55 years.

Kelly Crow has done some sleuthing to get the names of consignors for the top lots in the next two weeks:

• Modigliani, La Belle Romaine: Turkish banker Halit Cingillioğlu
• Warhol, Big Campbell’s Soup Can with Can Opener (Vegetable): St. Louis collector Barney Ebsworth

In this round, major sellers include casino magnate Steve Wynn, architect Graham Gund and financiers Ron Perelman and Henry Kravis. Mr. Kravis has asked Christie’s to help him sell art by Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris, Paul Klee and Joan Miró, together valued at a minimum of $38 million. The gem may be a Gris autumnal still life, “Violin and Guitar,” expected to sell for at least $18 million.

Carol Vogel tries to liven up her auction preview piece with a smattering of names once connected to many of the works on sale:

one of Lichtenstein’s classic comic-book images is being sold by the Las Vegas casino owner Stephen A. Wynn; a 1938 Miró belongs to Henry Kravis, the Manhattan financier, and his wife, Marie-Josée; a seminal canvas by Francis Bacon was a gift from the artist to his longtime doctor; the hedge fund billionaire Steven A. Cohen is said to have once owned a 1995 painting by John Currin; and the newsprint magnate Peter Brant is reported to be selling a 2007 painting by Jeff Koons. […] Warhol’s “Men in Her Life,” which is expected to bring $50 million at the sale, on Nov. 8. That canvas is being sold by the Mugrabis, a family of Manhattan dealers known for their vast holdings of Warhols.

Auction Houses as Museums: Art on Display Presale (New York Times)

Fall Auctions: Bill Bigger Be Better? (Wall Street Journal)

Steve Wynn $40 Million Lichtenstein Signals Pickup in Auctions (Bloomberg)