Christie's Halts Sale of Controversial Nazi-Era Jewelry Collection
Christie's has canceled a second sale of jewelry from the collection of Austrian heiress Heidi Horten, following backlash from Jewish organizations and collectors. The initial sale in May generated $202 million but faced criticism due to the connections between the Horten fortune and Nazi-era policies. Christie's had added information to the auction materials acknowledging the purchase of Jewish businesses under duress and pledged to donate a portion of the proceeds to Holocaust research and education. However, several Jewish organizations declined the donations, leading to the cancellation of the upcoming sale scheduled for November.