Modigliani’s nude painting fetches record 69m dollars at auction

LONDON - A nude portrait by Amedeo Modigliani has fetched a record price of nearly 69 million dollars at an auction in New York.

The painting was sold at Sotheby’s auction, the BBC reports.

Sotheby’s said the artist’s ‘La Belle Romaine’ drew five bidders into a heated competition, pushing its price well past its pre-estimate of 40 million dollars.

An anonymous buyer made the winning bid, with the final price of 68.9 million dollars.

The sale o the painting, part of a series of nudes created around 1917, marked a record for a work by the artist, surpassing the 43.2million euros benchmark set earlier this year in Paris.

“We are delighted with the results of our sale,” said Simon Shaw, head of Sotheby’s.

“It was a great night for Modigliani,” he said, adding that the price was more than four times higher than when it was sold at Sotheby’s in 1999.

Another painting by Modigliani also surpassed its pre-sale estimate. Jeanne Hebuterne (au chapeau), one of the first portraits he painted of his lover, was sold for 19.1 million dollars. (ANI)