Copley collection

Over the years amassed by dealer and surrealist artist William Nelson Copley, it became one of the world's most respected collections of Surrealist art. Included was Man Ray's unforgettable image of large red lips floating above the landscape. The first part of the collection, the Surrealists, was sold at auction by Sotheby's in 1979 for $6.7 million, at the time the highest total for the auction of a single owner's collection in the United States. In 1993, Christie's auctioned off the contemporary works from the collection. Sources: Rogallery.com; http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/special_collections/copley1_m5.html