The Collection of Robert F. and Patricia G. Ross Weis

Over the span of several decades, Robert F. and Patricia G. Ross Weis assembled an exceptional collection that represents a veritable compendium of 20th-century art. The collection encompasses significant works by such luminaries as Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Max Ernst, Piet Mondrian, Mark Rothko, Arshile Gorky, and many others.

Drawn from the Weises’ residences in Pennsylvania and New York City, the forthcoming auction will present 80  lots—including paintings, sculptures, works on paper, and ceramics—in a dedicated single-owner sale anticipated to exceed $180 million in total. The sale will be held at Christie’s on 17 November at 6:30 p.m. EST. Each work exemplifies both the historical significance and the discerning vision that characterized the Weises’ approach to collecting.

Among the most notable highlights are Pablo Picasso’s La lecture (Marie-Thérèse) (estimate on request, approximately $40 million), Henri Matisse’s Figure et bouquet (Tête ocre), 1937 (estimate: $15–25 million), an exceptional example from the artist’s celebrated Nice period, and Mark Rothko’s No. 31 (Yellow Stripe), 1958 (estimate on request, approximately $50 million).

Robert F. Weis (1919–2015) served as chairman of Weis Markets, the family business established in 1912 in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. He and his wife, Patricia G. Ross Weis (1927–2024), shared 57 years of marriage. Their son, Jonathan Weis, continues the family legacy as chairman, president, and chief executive officer of the company.