According to Reuters, a Las Vegas auction including almost a dozen Pablo Picasso paintings and sculptures brought in more than $100 million over the weekend.
The Sotheby’s auction on Saturday sold 11 Picasso paintings as part of a cooperation with MGM Resorts, which was hoping to diversify its extensive collection by selling a number of the famed painter’s works. About 900 pieces by 200 artists are featured in the MGM Resorts Fine Arts Collection.
The auction was held at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas, where the works had been on exhibit. The picture “Femme au beret rouge-orange,” or “Woman in a reddish-orange hat,” by Marie-Therese Walter, Picasso’s girlfriend and muse, was sold for $40.5 million, the auction’s highest winning price. It was originally expected to sell for between $20 and $30 million, according to CNN.
“Homme et enfant,” and “Buste d’homme,” respectively, sold for $24.4 million and $9.5 million. “Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe,” inspired by Edouard Manet’s 1863 picture of the same name, sold for $2.1 million, more than four times its estimate. A sculpted white pitcher known as “Aiguière – Visage” was originally estimated to be worth between $60,000 and $80,000, but ended up selling for $315,000.
The names of the buyers were not revealed.