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Sotheby’s Shatters Records at Its Breuer Debut as a $236.4M Klimt Leads the $706M Evening Sale
The painting sold for $236.4 million at Sotheby’s, setting a record for modern art and highlighting its significance as a Holocaust survivor and centerpiece of Leonard Lauder’s collection.
- Gustav Klimt's Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer fetched $236.4 million at Sotheby's in New York, setting records as the artist's most valuable work and top sale in Sotheby's Modern category.
- Painted between 1914 and 1916, the portrait later helped Elisabeth Lederer survive Nazi persecution after the Gestapo seized the Lederer family's collection following the 1938 Anschluss.
- Hammering at $205 million under the gavel, the portrait sold after a 20-minute bidding war that drew audible cheers and an unidentified buyer.
- The lot helped push Sotheby's to a $706 million single-night total as Leonard A. Lauder's collection netted more than $527.5 million, reshaping modern-art benchmarks beyond Picasso's $179.4 million.
- Demand from Asian bidders buoyed several high-value lots at the sale, with Klimt's works reaching a total of $391,683,300 that night, during preview days over 25,000 visitors queued to see the work in person.
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Watch the Record-Breaking Auction of This Gustav Klimt Portrait, Which Just Became the Second Most Expensive Painting Ever Sold
"Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer," which played a role in protecting the life of its Jewish subject during the Holocaust, sold at Sotheby's for a historic $236.4 million. It's also the most expensive modern artwork ever auctioned
·United States
Read Full ArticleA little-known painting by Gustav Klimt fetched a record $236.4 million at a New York art auction this week, making it the second-most expensive artwork ever auctioned. Is that a coincidence, or does money also reveal trends in the art world?
·Netherlands
Read Full ArticleKlimt's women's portrait was $236,4 million at an auction in New York. Klimt once caused scandals. Today he is as accessible as the Impressionists.
·Zürich, Switzerland
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Total News Sources25
Leaning Left5Leaning Right5Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution34% Left, 33% Center, 33% Right
Bias Distribution
- 34% of the sources lean Left, 33% of the sources are Center, 33% of the sources lean Right
34% Left
L 34%
C 33%
R 33%
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