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$43m Warhol gives lift to bruised art market
The sagging market for contemporary art burst back into life on Wednesday when a painting by Andy Warhol sold for USD 43.8 million at Sotheby's New York, far above its pre-sale estimate of USD 8 million-USD 12 million.
The auction as a whole sold £134.4 million (USD 222.8 million) worth of art, again clearing the auction house's high estimate of USD 97.7 million, as buyers made their presence felt in a market that has suffered during the last 12 months of financial uncertainty.
Nowhere was their pent-up demand more conspicuous than in the bidding for the 1962 Warhol painting, "200 One Dollar Bills".
The bidding was opened by auctioneer Tobias Meyer at USD 6 million, but it was instantly doubled by the very first bid from the floor - an unusually aggressive move.
$43m Warhol gives lift to bruised art market
The sagging market for contemporary art burst back into life on Wednesday when a painting by Andy Warhol sold for USD 43.8 million at Sotheby's New York, far above its pre-sale estimate of USD 8 million-USD 12 million.
The auction as a whole sold £134.4 million (USD 222.8 million) worth of art, again clearing the auction house's high estimate of USD 97.7 million, as buyers made their presence felt in a market that has suffered during the last 12 months of financial uncertainty.
Nowhere was their pent-up demand more conspicuous than in the bidding for the 1962 Warhol painting, "200 One Dollar Bills".
The bidding was opened by auctioneer Tobias Meyer at USD 6 million, but it was instantly doubled by the very first bid from the floor - an unusually aggressive move.
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