Auctions have long served as a stage where wealth meets a passion for great finds, offering one-of-a-kind pieces to the highest bidder. Auctions are favoured for their feature of privacy, a fact that many personalities do not find comfort in having such high-end purchases revealed and therefore rely on intermediaries or representatives to bid on their behalf or remain anonymous. In 2025 as well, such endeavors continue, revealing limited public buys. Here are a few billionaire auction buys that were revealed in 2025:
1. Steve Schwarzman
Co-founder of Blackstone, acquired two significant 18th-century portraits: Joshua Reynolds’ Portrait of Lady Worsley, a historic portrait of scandal and style from 18th-century England for approximately $31 million and Thomas Gainsborough’s Lady Bate-Dudley, which was approximately $25 million These acquisitions are part of his efforts to furnish his estate, Conholt Park, in Wiltshire.
2. Mukesh Ambani
Mukesh Ambani, through his conglomerate Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), made a significant acquisition via auction. In January, RIL secured a 49% stake in the Oval Invincibles, a franchise in England’s ‘The Hundred’ cricket league, for £60.27 million (approximately INR 645 crore).
3. Bill Chisholm
In March 2025, private equity executive Bill Chisholm led an investment group to purchase the Boston Celtics for $6.1 billion, marking the largest sale of a North American sports franchise.
4. Jay Adair
While not exclusively in the year 2025, Jay Adair, Executive Chairman of Copart, acquired five wineries in October 2024 from Vintage Wine Estates for $85 million during bankruptcy proceedings. The acquisition included Clos Pegase, Girard Wineries, B.R. Cohn, Kunde, and Viansa, along with 120 acres of vineyards and five tasting rooms.
Also read: Top 5 Most Expensive Cities in India to Buy Property
5. Gian Bochsler
Bity Foundation, founded by this Swiss tech entrepreneur, is said to have acquired Refik Anadol’s Machine Hallucinations: Mars, A generative AI data painting for $900,000, sold at Sotheby’s Saudi Arabia auction house in February 2025.
6. Nita Ambani
A stunning 18k White Gold Rolex Day-Date watch, adorned with diamonds and rainbow-colored sapphires, was spotted on Nita Ambani, an Indian businesswoman, philanthropist and Director at RIL, also married to business tycoon Mukesh Ambani. It is said to have been purchased by her at an auction event earlier this year for $126,000 (INR 1.5 cr).
7. Louise Riggio
Piet Mondrian’s Composition with Large Red Plane, Bluish Gray, Yellow, Black and Blue, was supposedly purchased by the estate of Lousie Riggio in an auction in May 2025 from Christie’s New York. The painting was sold for $46.7 million and achieved the third-highest auction price for Mondrian.
8. Consortium of CEOs
In a rare occurrence, a group of tech executives, including Sundar Pichai (Google), Satya Nadella (Microsoft), Shantanu Narayen (Adobe), and Nikesh Arora (Palo Alto Networks), purchased a 49% stake in London Spirit for £144 million during the ECB’s auction. These auction acquisitions from 2025 highlight how business leaders continue to invest in legacy, culture, and personal passion. Whether through rare art, elite sports franchises, or luxury collectibles, their purchases reflect a refined blend of taste, ambition, and influence. While many deals remain behind closed doors, the few that surface offer a rare glimpse into the personal worlds of the world’s most powerful business figures.
Written by Teertha Ravichandran
