NEW YORK (AP) β A painting by Amedeo Modigliani has fetched $170.4 million at an auction in New York, setting a world record for the artist.
“Reclining Nude” was sold at Christie’s on Monday after a protracted bidding battle. It was the second highest price ever achieved at auction for a work of art.
Considered one of his best known works, the 1917-1918 painting nearly created a scandal when it was first exhibited in Paris. The previous auction record for a Modigliani was $71 million.
Pablo Picasso’s painting “Women of Algiers (Version O)” set the record for the highest sum ever paid for an artwork at auction. It sold for $179.4 million at Christie’s in May.
Christie’s expects to sell at least $1 billion of art over a series of sales this week.
