Anthony d'Offay at panel with image of Bruce Nauman's "Violins, Violence, Silence"

Retired London dealer Anthony d’Offay purchased Bruce Nauman’s 1981-82 neon “Violins, Violence, Silence” at Sotheby’s contemporary art auction in New York on Nov. 11 for $4 million, according to d’Offay. He bid by phone.

The work is slated to be part of d’Offay’s “Artist Rooms,” a group of over 725 works he partially donated to the U.K. which have since gone on display at the Tate Modern and other museums.

Panel from left: Richard Armstrong, Bruce Altshuler, Anthony d'Offay

D’Offay revealed the Nauman acquisition last week in Abu Dhabi at a Guggenheim sponsored panel, “From Private to Public: Patronage and the Museum in the Modern Era,” moderated by Guggenheim director Richard Armstrong. NYU’s graduate school director of museum studies Bruce Altshuler spoke about the historical formation of modern museums, and Chicago collectors Stefan Edlis and Gail Neeson discussed their own collecting practices.

D’Offay’s collection included works by Warhol, Lewitt, Koons, Kiefer and others. He closed his London gallery in 2001.

Guggeheim Abu Dhabi panel, from left Chicago collector Gail Neeson and Richard Armstrong at podium

The Nauman was consigned to Sotheby’s by Chicago’s real estate Oliver-Hoffmann family, according to a dealer familiar with the situation.

There were also sales taking place around the Abu Dhabi Art fair. Gagosian Gallery sold a 1982 seven-foot-wide red and blue Willem de Kooning oil painting to an undisclosed buyer. The gallery also sold four shiny works by Anselm Reyle.

Calder's "Shower" on PaceWildenstein's stand

PaceWildenstein also made a big ticket sale with a 1979 Calder “The Shower” (La Douche), marked with a red dot. The gallery declined to discuss details, but others at the fair said the piece was priced around $6 million and slated for the forthcoming Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.