Modigliani’s Nude Sold for Record $69 Million

An Amedeo Modigliani 1917 nude sold for $68.96 million, a record for the artist, helping Sotheby’s reach its highest total for a New York Impressionist and modern art sale since May 2008, reports Bloomberg.

Modigliani’s “Nu Assis sur un Divan (La Belle Romaine)” was offered early in the 61-lot sale, the first of the two-week New York autumn season. Five phone bidders vied for the work, pushing its price well past the $40 million that was expected.

Modigliani nudes are especially coveted. “La Belle Romaine” has an almond-eyed model, head cocked seductively and torso wrapped in white drapery that reveals more than it obscures.

It previously sold at Sotheby’s in 1999 for $16.8 million. The seller then was a member of the Sultan of Brunei’s family, dealers said. Last night it was estimated to fetch about $40 million.