The depth of Miller’s passion is easy to understand when faced with the majesty of her collection.

Making its auction debut in November is an extraordinary painting from Claude Monet’s “Nymphéas” series (estimate upon request) that prefigures the monumental canvases housed in Paris’s Musée de l’Orangerie. Monet’s late-career lily-pond paintings are regarded as his magnum opus, anticipating the massive, gestural abstractions of the New York School 30 years later.

La Statuaire (estimate upon request), a seminal 1925 painting by Pablo Picasso, depicts a seated woman sculptor aside a portrait bust – in fact, it is the first painting to depict a female artist in Picasso’s oeuvre. It has been exhibited in numerous important exhibitions of Picasso’s work, and was previously in the collection of Stephen Clark, a founding trustee of The Museum of Modern Art.

Returning to auction for the first time in more than 50 years is Wassily Kandinsky’s Weisses Oval (White Oval) (estimate: $15-20 million), a masterpiece of the artist’s lifelong study of color and form – and one of the final three paintings he made during his formative time living in Russia before accepting a teaching post at the Bauhaus in Berlin. The painting served as a declaration of his transformative artistic vision; as such it has been exhibited in numerous important exhibitions, including Kandinsky’s 1952 travelling retrospective, and was acquired by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 1945.

Dating to the height of Yves Klein’s career, the extraordinary Relief Éponge bleu sans titre, (RE 28) (estimate $8-12 million) encapsulates the philosophies and spirituality that sat at the heart of his output. An icon of Klein’s defiance of the existing boundaries of abstraction, the artist brings together velvety pigment and organic matter to create a composition juxtaposing the void and the concrete, the material and immaterial.

Henri Matisse’s Jeune fille en robe rose (estimate: $3-5 million) is a joyous, emphatic painting from the artist’s time in Nice, where he found sanctuary from the war painting intimate portraits and still lifes to stave off feelings of hopelessness during the city’s occupation.

A rare example of Henry Moore’s Reclining Mother and Child (estimate: $8-12 million) represents the pinnacle of the artist’s engagement with his two most celebrated motifs – the mother and child, and the reclining figure – themes rooted in his childhood experiences and art historical precedents from Renaissance iconography to Pre-Columbian sculpture.

François-Xavier Lalanne’s ‘Troupeau d’Eléphants dans les Arbres’ Table, a whimsical octagonal table (estimate: $4-6 million) accompanied by seven gilded elephants marching as a herd under the Acacia trees of the African savanna, was commissioned by Miller directly from the artist through celebrated architect Peter Marino. Each one of the free-standing elephants can be moved into any configuration desired, resulting in a sculpture that can be best enlivened through active engagement from the steward of the piece.

And these are but a few of the incredible artworks from the collection. “What stands out is the thread that runs through every painting, sculpture and object – that of Miller’s eye for beauty as she innately understood it,” says Sotheby’s CEO Charles F. Stewart. “We are thrilled to celebrate her lifetime of creativity, innovation and philanthropy through the artworks that were her private sanctuary and inspiration.”

Further works will be offered throughout the fall in three dedicated online sales devoted to her keen eye for fashion, her expansive range of objets d’art and her exquisite collection of furniture, decorative art and silver. Miller’s impeccable taste in jewelry will also be showcased in the Magnificent Jewels and Fine Jewels auctions of Sotheby’s Luxury Sales series in December.

“Like Sydell, the artists and designers in this collection defied the boundaries set before them, striving for beauty and transformation in their craft and leaving indelible marks on the history of art,” says Sharon Kim, Sotheby’s Vice Chairman of Impressionist & Modern Art. “Here, in one place, we have the titans of modern art history, each with their own contribution to beauty: one of art’s most profound, and enduring, gifts to the world.”

Sydell Miller’s art-filled home was set across the whole floor of The Bristol building, an architectural marvel in Palm Beach. The home was the result of close collaboration between Miller and her daughter Stacie Halpern, who played a significant role in the interior design, while Miller oversaw the selection and curation of the art and design pieces. The home was yet another monument to beauty across periods, movements and media, as well as, in Miller’s words, “individual expression and creativity.” In one room, a pair of unique Nenuphars consoles commissioned directly from Claude Lalanne (estimate: $1.5-2 million each) were placed in conversation with Monet’s Nymphéas. In another, the monumental Moore sculpture, Mother and Child with Apple, was paired brilliantly with the blue sponge painting by Klein. In the dining room, the metallic sheen of Fernand Léger’s Les Trois figures (estimate: $3-5 million) was contrasted with the earthly brilliance of Jean Dubuffet’s Le Cérémonieux (estimate: $2.5-3 million).

“Part of the power of Sydell Miller’s collection is in how she creatively and harmoniously blended together art and design to create an interior at once completely unique and overwhelmingly elegant,” says Jodi Pollack, Sotheby’s Chairman and Co-Worldwide Head of 20th Century Design. “The magical dialogues she choreographed between her art and objects brings new life and energy to each work that is both inspiring and a testament to Sydell’s exquisite taste, originality and boldness. It is a vision.”

Sydell Miller was a gracious host, known for her kindness and compassion and remaining true to her core values throughout her life. She was, in the words of those close to her, “as sweet as the chocolate she loved.” Guided by this spirit of generosity, the Miller name has long been synonymous with charitable giving. She served on the boards of the American Cancer Society of Palm Beach, BBSI, the Cleveland Clinic, Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, Norton Museum of Art, Palm Beach Civic Association, and Palm Beach County United Way. In her later life, Sydell Miller’s devotion to philanthropy took center stage. Among the many institutions and causes that she championed was the Cleveland Clinic, home to the Sydell & Arnold Miller Family Pavilion and Heart and Vascular Institute – now the top-ranked cardiology hospital in the United States.

Fittingly, a portion of the auction’s proceeds will benefit Cleveland Clinic Women’s Comprehensive Health and Research Center, Cleveland Museum of Art and Sydell L. Miller Elephant Care & Visitor Center at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.