Summary
A painting by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt sold for $236.4 million at an auction in New York, becoming the second most expensive artwork ever sold at auction. The painting, "Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer," had a history involving Nazi looting and was once part of the collection of Leonard A. Lauder.
Key Facts
- The painting "Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer" sold for $236.4 million in New York.
- It is the second most expensive artwork sold at auction, after Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi."
- Six people bid on the painting, with the auction lasting 20 minutes.
- The artwork was almost destroyed in a fire during World War Two after being looted by the Nazis.
- The painting was returned to Erich Lederer, Elisabeth Lederer's brother, in 1948.
- Leonard A. Lauder, an Estée Lauder heir, purchased the painting for his private collection in 1985.
- Other Klimt paintings were also auctioned, selling for $60 million to $80 million each.
- The buyer of the Klimt painting was not disclosed by Sotheby's.
