The November 9th auction of Contemporary Art in New York is highlighted by a rare and significant offering of four paintings by Clyfford Still, sold by the city of Denver to benefit the Clyfford Still Museum. The museum, which opens November 18, 2011, will permanently house the estate of the artist and his widow which encompass nearly 94% of the oeuvre of this founder of the Abstract Expressionist movement. Only 77 paintings by Clyfford Still are known to remain in private hands, so the four paintings to be offered through Sotheby’s (expected to realize over $50 million) are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire an icon of 20th century art. Spanning the years 1940-1976, the selection of paintings traces the arc of the artist’s career from his early Surrealist period to the majestic abstractions of 1947-1949 that presage the expansive canvases of the 1970s.