Records were set in a historic Impressionist and Modern art auction on Thursday night where private collectors from around the world bid on names like van Gogh, Monet, and Picasso, at Sotheby’s elite auction house on the east side of Manhattan.
Though 47 masterpieces were auctioned off, one piece in particular captivated bidders. Pablo Picasso’s La Gommeuse was sold for an astounding $67,450,000. The depiction of a cabaret performer, La Gommeuse, is no ordinary painting, it is a two-for-one special. Picasso painted a caricature like picture on the back, seemingly poking fun at his friend Mere Mañach.
Coming in a close second in auction price, Vincent van Gogh’s Paysage Sous Un Ciel Mouvementé, sold for $54,010,000.
Despite international market fragility and slumping oil prices, Vice Chairman of Sotheby’s Americas, David Norman, told VOA’s Russian Service that “The [art] market continues to be extremely strong. We see bidding from all corners of the world. We had participation from Asia, North America, Russia; collectors who have been in the market for 30, 40, 50 years, and collectors who have just entered the market in the last one-two years.”
According to Sotheby’s website, in 26 hours, the auction house assisted international art collectors in the exchange of $726 million USD of art. 17 of the masterpieces topped the $10 million sales price.
