When Miss January Steps Out, Auction History Gets a Jolt

A painting with a single pink sock is poised to shake up the art world’s record books. Marlene Dumas’s Miss January, painted in 1997, is expected to become the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction by a living woman artist when it goes under the hammer at Christie’s New York. With an estimate as high as $18 million, it’s set to eclipse Jenny Saville’s previous record—one that was overshadowed at the time by a Banksy stunt. Miss January’s journey is as striking as its subject: acquired over twenty years ago by renowned collectors Mera and Don Rubell, the work now leaves their collection to support new artistic voices. Dumas’s painting stands out not just for its boldness, but for how it reimagines the female nude—turning a familiar trope on its head and challenging the gaze of art history. As the gavel falls, Miss January may do more than set a price—it might just redraw the lines of who gets to make art history. #MarleneDumas #ContemporaryArt #WomenArtists #Culture