Sotheby’s is opening the summer season at the Breuer on July 1 at 945 Madison Avenue, New York, with a months-long program of exhibitions, auctions, and public events running through mid-August.
Celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States, Sotheby’s has created an exhibition based upon this American milestones. The exhibition, American Views: People and Places, will take place from July 1 through August 16, 2026, and is a private exhibition in five distinct sections featuring art, literature, crafts, and ephemera.
An Edward Hopper that once hung in the Oval Office, a Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington, and major works by Barkley L. Hendricks, Georgia O’Keeffe, Norman Rockwell, and Stuart Davis are all part of it. The Davis works come directly from the artist’s family. Bronzes by Frederic Remington and Charles Marion Russell feature alongside a private collection of Hudson River School painters.
A Stone copy of the Declaration of Independence signed by John Quincy Adams, the Birmingham Jail logbook with multiple signatures of Martin Luther King Jr., a rare 18th-century Chippendale desk-and-bookcase, first editions of defining American literature, and a never-before-seen archive of Sesame Street scripts and song lyrics are all on view through August 16.
David Webb‘s jewelry presentation, Mavericks on Madison Avenue, also runs through August 16. It covers a never-before-shown aquamarine suite from the 1950s, a new version of Webb’s iconic Totem Necklace, vintage coral pieces, and emerald and sapphire one-of-a-kind brooches from the 1960s. Webb opened his New York atelier in 1948 and has long been one of the defining names in American fine jewelry. This is also the first time archival and contemporary masterpieces by Webb have been brought together and displayed in this format.
A working draft of Bob Dylan’s Masters of War and a near-complete manuscript of Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run are the centerpieces of The Backbeat of America, running July 1 through August 16. Both manuscripts carry handwritten revisions that give a rare look into how those songs came together. Historic instruments and memorabilia complete the show. A classic Fire Horse Stetson hat, sold to benefit Gold House, is also part of the season.
Geek Week runs July 14 and 15 across three separate auctions. Gus, a 67-million-year-old T. rex found in South Dakota, leads the Natural History sale on July 14 , estimated between $20 and $30 million. A juvenile Gryposaurus, an extremely rare pair of nestling hadrosaurids with eggshell remnants intact, early human tools, and meteorites are also in that sale. Space Exploration follows on July 15, with items from Buzz Aldrin’s personal collection. History of Science and Technology closes the week on July 15, with artifacts from the family of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman and an Apple 1 computer.
Sports Week covers basketball, baseball, football, tennis, and hockey across three online auctions in New York. Pelé’s match-worn number 10 shirt from the 1958 FIFA World Cup Final leads The Beautiful Game, running June 29 through July 16, estimated in excess of $6 million. Pelé was 17 during that tournament, scored six goals, and became the youngest player ever to win a World Cup. If the estimate holds, the shirt will become the most valuable piece of Pelé memorabilia ever sold at auction.
NBA Auctions Premier, 2026 Finals runs June 30 through July 8. It features game-worn jerseys from the series between the historic New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs game. Jalen Brunson’s Game 1 jersey, from his first-ever NBA Finals appearance, and Victor Wembanyama’s Game 3 jersey, from the game in which he secured the Spurs’ first win of the series, are the lead lots. Game 1 jerseys from OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, and Devin Vassell are also part of the sale. Summer Sports Marquee runs July 1 through 20.
Marcel, the fine-dining spot in the Sotheby’s building, will run a rotating exhibition of artworks and objects by American creators through the season. All exhibitions are open to the public on July 1. It’s certainly a monumental spread!
