$60M in art from Sid and Anne Bass’ famed Westover Hills mansion hit auction block

Nine artworks by seven of the most well-known artists of the 20th century worth nearly $60 million and owned by Sid and Anne Bass’ acclaimed Westover Hills residence will hit the auction block next month as part of prestigious auction house Christie’s annual Spring Marquee Week.

The auction, called Art from the Bass House, places the works by Mark Rothko, Alexander Calder, Frank Stella, Ellsworth Kelly, Agnes Martin, Morris Louis and Gino Severini in the context of their renowned Westover Hills mansion designed by architect Paul Rudolph and landscape architects Robert Zion and Russell Page.

Bass was a big fan of Rudolph’s since he first saw the acclaimed modernist’s Art and Architecture Building as an undergraduate student at Yale University. As the extremely wealthy do, he had to have one. After marrying Anne, the two, still in their late 20s, began doggedly pursuing Rudolph to design their home. He agreed a year later, and the drafting and construction for the house was underway. It was completed in 1976. (Rudolph, who died in 1997, also designed the downtown City Center towers and TCU’s Sid Richardson Physical Sciences Building, also his first Texas commission.)

The family had two goals. One, Rudolph’s design had to be the best around. Two, he had to keep their growing art collection in mind when designing it.

The result is a study of contradictions, complexity, weight and counterweight while also incorporating some of Rudolph’s favorite elements. The glass and steel residence wrapped in aluminum is four stories, divided into 12 layers with 14 ceiling heights with a 40-foot cantilever beam allowing it to hover over the grounds. The interior sounds fun if you’re a dancer willing to take a risk, with the various levels resulting in a dizzying number of stairs and twists.

It’s a minimalist’s dream that pleased Rudolph and critics.

Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture Paul Goldberger called it “one of the great achievements not only of Rudolph’s prolific career but of American architecture.” Mark Gunderson, the Fort Worth architect and a seminal expert on the city’s built environment, described it in Texas Architect as “arguably his finest residence.”

Max Carter, vice chairman of 20th and 21st century art at Christie’s, called the residence “an experience of overpowering, almost spiritual beauty, with Rudolph’s soaring interiors, Russell Page’s magical garden and the masterpieces on every surface…uniting the best and most visionary in architecture, landscape and art.”

Of the works for the sale were Gamma Upsilon (1960) by Morris Louis and Firuzabad III (1970) by Frank Stella in the great living room; spanning one of the staircases were Untitled #11 and Untitled #2 (both est. 1977) by Agnes Martin; across from the Martins was Frank Stella’s Itata, part of his “V Series” named for historic ships. To the right was the heralded No. 4 (Two Dominants) [Orange Plum Black] (1950-51) by Mark Rothko, with Blue Black Red by Elsworth Kelly in the playroom. In the library was Gino Severini’s Danseuse (1915), which was placed by Anne’s desk.

The Rothko canvas is a get, said Alex Rotter, chairman 20th and 21st century art at Christie’s. “Mark Rothko was unmatched in his understanding of the power of color, with a legacy that continues to resonate and inspire worldwide. The Rothko canvas from the Bass House is the artist at his finest,” he said.

Get ready to open your pocketbooks.

The Rothko is an estimated $35 million.

This story was originally published April 22, 2025 at 8:00 AM.