LAS VEGAS — Eleven works by artist Pablo Picasso that have been on display at a Las Vegas casino sold for a collective total of more than $110 million Saturday night.
The curated selection of paintings, works on paper and ceramics from Picasso, highlight his work from 1917 to 1969, according to Sotheby’s, which organized the auction.
The auction was held two days before the Spanish artist’s 140th birthday, The Guardian reported. Picasso was born Oct. 25, 1881, and died April 8, 1983.
#AuctionUpdate Closing out tonight’s sale, Femme au béret rouge-orange sells for $40.5 million. Painted in January 1938, the portrait of his beloved muse Marie-Thérèse Walter stands as a crowning achievement amid one of Picasso’s most inspired and productive periods #SothebysxMGM pic.twitter.com/v4sCY19pDE
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) October 24, 2021
The pieces of art were part of the MGM Resorts Collection and were displayed at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino’s restaurant, Picasso, an eatery inspired by the artist’s life and work, CNN reported.
It was Sotheby’s first evening marquee sale to take place outside New York City, the news network reported.
Picasso’s 1938 painting, “Woman in a Red-Orange Beret,” which features Picasso’s lover and muse, Marie-Thérèse Walter, sold for the highest price, bringing in $40.5 million, according to the BBC.
Another painting, the 1959 “Homme et Enfant” (Man and Child) sold for $24 million, according to the news outlet.
Two Cubist-style paintings from the 1940s also fetched high prices when the gavel dropped, CNN reported. “Nature morte au panier de fruits et aux fleurs” sold for $16.6 million, and “Nature morte aux fleurs et au compotier” sold for $8.3 million.
“Nature morte au panier de fruits et aux fleurs” was painted by Picasso during the Nazi occupation of Paris in 1942, the BBC reported.
“Despite the destruction and hardship of World War II, the years between 1940-44 resulted in one of Picasso’s richest periods,” Sotheby’s said in a news release.
The names of the buyers have not been revealed.
The record for Picasso’s artwork is $179.4 million, which was paid for his painting, “The Women of Algiers” in 2015, according to the BBC.
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