Auctions at Christie's and Sotheby's in New York next month are expected to fetch
near to a billion dollars. Among the works up for auction are Francis Bacon's study of Pope Innocent X (pictured left) and a Mark Rothko painting, these works alone are expected to get up to 70 million dollars amongst them.
Other paintings in the auction include a Cèzanne watercolor which is estimated to make up to $18 million, while a reclining nude by Henri Matisse could fetch as much as $20m (£10m) at the Sotheby's sale.
All these works are now in display at Sotheby's in London