Photo © Galerie Maeght
At Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale in London today (Feb 3), this Alberto Giacometti sculpture sold for £65 million or $104.3 million. The “Walking Man” is a mottled bronze and stands six-foot tall. Its sale is a record for the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction. Pablo Picasso’s “Boy with a Pipe” was the previous record holder. It sold for $104 million in 2004 at Sotheby’s in New York.
More after the jump…
The Giacometti sculpture’s starting bid was £12 million, had 10 bidders, and the bidding lasted 8 minutes. The identity of the bidder, who did so by phone, is unknown. The piece is from an edition of six and has four artist’s proofs.
In related Picasso news, his painting, “Tête de femme (Jacqueline)”, sold at Christie’s in London for $12.9 million or £8.1 million, which is twice the presale high estimate of £4 million.
Picasso's "Tête de femme (Jacqueline)"
