Klimt portrait sold for record-breaking price
The artwork “Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer” (Bildnis Elisabeth Lederer) by Austrian painter Gustav Klimt has been sold at Sotheby’s for $236.36 million, Qazinform News Agency reports.
The painting has become the most expensive work of modern art ever sold at auction, as well as the highest-priced lot in Sotheby’s history. The final price surpassed the previous record set by an Andy Warhol piece sold in 2022. The bidding lasted 20 minutes.
The portrait was offered from the collection of American philanthropist and art collector Leonard A. Lauder, one of the world’s most prominent patrons of the arts.
According to Sotheby’s, total proceeds from the sale of the Lauder collection have reached $527.5 million, exceeding the forecast of $400 million.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the auction “Leonard A. Lauder, Collector” would take place on the evening of November 18 in New York, featuring works by Gustav Klimt, Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Edvard Munch.
The main lot of the sale was announced to be “Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer.” Experts expected the work to exceed $150 million, making it a contender for one of the most expensive auction lots in history.