German abstract painting sells for record price
Published: 13 Oct, 2012 CET.
Updated: Sat 13 Oct 2012 10:27 CET
An abstract oil painting by German artist Gerhard Richter and owned by musician Eric Clapton broke auction records Friday when it sold at Sotheby’s in London for more than €26 million.
Richter’s work, "Abstraktes Bild," from 1994, sold to an anonymous bidder after a five-minute bidding war with another interested party.
According to Sotheby’s, the £21.3 million sale was an auction record for a living artist. It was also a new record for a work by the 80-year-old Richter. In May, one of his paintings sold in New York for $21.9 million (€17 million).
Friday’s sale in London exceeded expectations for the abstract painting, which had been assumed would fetch between £9 million and £12 million, according to the Associated Press.
DAPD/The Local/mbw
Comments
See Also
Richter’s work, "Abstraktes Bild," from 1994, sold to an anonymous bidder after a five-minute bidding war with another interested party.
According to Sotheby’s, the £21.3 million sale was an auction record for a living artist. It was also a new record for a work by the 80-year-old Richter. In May, one of his paintings sold in New York for $21.9 million (€17 million).
Friday’s sale in London exceeded expectations for the abstract painting, which had been assumed would fetch between £9 million and £12 million, according to the Associated Press.
DAPD/The Local/mbw
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.