Fifty works from a $300 million art collection pledged to Seattle University will go to auction at Sotheby's in New York.
The sales, in November and February, come as the museum planned to house the gift remains unbuilt on Capitol Hill.
The selected pieces, valued at roughly $90 million, come from the collection of Seattle hotel developer Richard Hedreen and his late wife, Elizabeth "Betty" Hedreen, a Seattle University alumna who died in 2022.
The Seattle Times first reported the auction plans on Monday, Sept. 14.
Richard Hedreen pledged the couple's entire collection to Seattle University in 2024, along with $25 million in seed funding for a new Seattle University Museum of Art (SUMA).
The collection has since grown from roughly 200 pieces to more than 400, spanning the 15th century to the present, according to the university. Seattle University has called the gift one of the largest art donations ever made to a university in Washington state.
The Hedreen family said in a statement that the sale is meant to make the broader gift viable. A university spokesperson declined to say what the auction proceeds will fund.
What's headed to the auction block
The 50 works include Roy Lichtenstein's "Reflections on 'Painter and Model,'" estimated at $20 million to $30 million, and Titian's "The Mater Dolorosa," estimated at $4 million to $6 million, according to a Seattle University news release.
Cecily Brown's "Untitled (Shipwreck)" carries an estimate of $7 million to $10 million.
Hedreen chose the works in consultation with the university to ensure the remaining 350-plus pieces would, in the university's words, "remain of outstanding importance and caliber."
The retained collection includes portraits by Agnolo Bronzino and Jacopo Pontormo. It also includes contemporary American works by Willem de Kooning, Rashid Johnson and Amy Sherald.
Museum site cleared, but construction has not started
Seattle University announced in 2025 that SUMA would replace the Lee Center for the Arts at 12th Avenue and East Marion Street. The museum was projected to cost about $60 million, with construction originally set to begin in August.
That deadline has passed. A university spokesperson confirmed Sept. 14 that the museum is not under construction and declined to comment on a revised timeline.
The Lee Center was scheduled for demolition in August to clear the site. The Seattle Spectator reported in May that the final production staged there was "Our Town," performed by Seattle University's Theatre Department.
The demolition announcement in February 2025 drew pushback from students and faculty, who launched a "#SaveTheLee" campaign.
Janet Hayatshahi, Seattle University's theatre director, told the Spectator in May: "It's such a shame to lose this beautiful theater in the heart of Capitol Hill … to take away a fully functional, beautiful space."
The Spectator reported in May that SUMA was projected to open in fall 2028. Given that construction has not started, that timeline is uncertain.
What this means for Seattle University
Betty Hedreen served as vice chair of the Seattle Art Museum board in the 1990s and was elected honorary trustee for life in 2017.
The Hedreens also helped fund Seattle University's Chapel of St. Ignatius, designed by architect Steven Holl, and the Lee Center itself.
Seattle University said in a statement that it remains in regular communication with the Hedreen family as planning continues.
No groundbreaking date, board meeting or public update on SUMA's construction timeline has been announced.
