New York: A 1932 painting by Pablo Picasso sold Tuesday night in New York for $106.5 million, a new world record auction price for a work of art, the Christie's auction house announced.
The oil painting, Nu au Plateau de Sculpteur (Nude, Green Leaves and Bust), has Marie-Therese Walter, the artist's mistress in reclining and also in a bust. Picasso included his own profile in the blue background.
The winning bid came by telephone from an anonymous buyer. The price had been estimated at $70 million to $90 million before the sale, and bidding began at $58 million.
The auction price topped the record set in February of $104.3 million for a Giacometti sculpture. That work, titled Walking Man I, sold in London at Sotheby's auction house.
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First Published: Wednesday, May 05, 2010, 10:40