Richter sets new record
February 11, 2015
It is "Abstract" by name and now abstract by value. Having spent the last few years smashing auction records, Richter has again trumped his own 2013 record of 32.5 million euros for "Cathedral Square, Milan" with his 1986 work "Abstraktes Bild."
Once owned by rock guitarist Eric Clapton and having long been a crowd favorite at the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, the work trumped its pre-sale evaluation of 27 million euros - going to an anonymous buyer for the record sum.
The Sotheby's auction drew in a total of 166.5 million euros and included Francis Bacon's 1977 work, "Two Studies for Self-Portrait," which sold for nearly 20 million euros.
American artist Jonas Wood also drew significant bidding attention, with "Studio Hallway" going under the hammer for nearly 500,000 euros. Bids were registered from 42 different countries.
jgt/kbm (dpa, AP)