LAn extraordinary record was obtained during the fall auctions in New York, especially on Wednesday, November 19 for Portrait of Elisabeth Ledererby Gustav Klimt – 236.4 million dollars, or about 204 million euros, making it the second most expensive work acquired on the public market after Mundi Savior attributed to Leonardo da Vinci –, and the next day to Dream (Room), by Frida Kahlo – $54.66 million, the highest price ever achieved by a work by a woman – perhaps indicating that the good times of the art market are back.
It is necessary to qualify: in both cases, these works are rare. Kahlo had not been seen on the market for forty-five years, Klimt had been owned by collector and philanthropist Leonard A. Lauder, of prestigious origin, for almost as long. In professional jargon, we paradoxically say that they are “fresh”. To which we must add a psychological dimension: the Klimt sale coincided with the inauguration of Sotheby’s new building, now located in the Breuer Building. Built for the former Whitney Museum, then occupied by a branch of the Metropolitan Museum and finally by a temporary installation of works by the Frick Collection then under construction, it is a legendary New York venue.
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