6 months ago
2
A representation by Austrian creator Gustav Klimt fetched $236.4 cardinal successful New York connected Tuesday (November 18, 2025), becoming the 2nd astir costly artwork ever sold astatine auction.
Six bidders battled for 20 minutes implicit the “Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer”, which Klimt painted betwixt 1914 and 1916.
The portion depicts the girl of Klimt’s main patron dressed successful a achromatic imperial Chinese dress, lasting earlier a bluish tapestry with Asian-inspired motifs.
Sotheby’s, which managed the sale, did not disclose the individuality of the buyer.
The astir expensive coating ever sold astatine auction remains the “Salvator Mundi”, attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, which was bought for $450 cardinal successful 2017.
Bidding representatives respond aft Leonardo da Vinci's “Salvator Mundi” sold for $450 cardinal astatine Christie's successful New York connected November 15, 2017. | Photo Credit: AP
“Full-length nine portraits of this awesome standard and from Klimt’s pinnacle play (1912-17) are exceptionally rare; the bulk successful large depository collections,” Sotheby’s said of Tuesday’s (November 18, 2025) sale.
“The coating offered this evening was 1 of lone 2 specified commissioned portraits remaining successful backstage hands,” it added successful a statement.
Several different works from Klimt were auctioned astatine the aforesaid event, including “Flowering Meadow” for $86 cardinal and “Forest Slope astatine Unterach americium Attersee” for $68.3 cardinal — some portion of the postulation of Estee Lauder cosmetics heir Leonard Lauder, who died earlier successful 2025.
In total, 24 tons from the Lauder postulation generated $527.5 million.
For Klimt, the past auction grounds for his enactment was held by “Lady with a Fan”, which sold for £85.3 cardinal ($108.8 million) successful London successful 2023.
Another notable auction connected Tuesday (November 18, 2025) saw Italian provocateur Maurizio Cattelan’s coagulated golden toilet spell for $12.1 million, and was sold to a celebrated American brand, according to Sotheby’s.
Maurizio Cattelan's America, a afloat functional toilet fashioned from conscionable implicit 100 kg of coagulated 18-karat gold, is seen during a preview of the auction location Sotheby’s caller office successful Manhattan connected November 7, 2025. | Photo Credit: Reuters
An earlier mentation of the luxe latrine, titled “America”, was stolen successful 2019 from a castle successful England.
This September 16, 2016 record representation made from a video shows the 18-karat toilet, titled “America”, by Maurizio Cattelan successful the restroom of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum successful New York. Thieves person stolen the coagulated golden toilet from Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill. The toilet, the enactment of Italian conceptual creator Maurizio Cattelan, had been installed lone 2 days earlier astatine Blenheim Palace, westbound of London, aft antecedently being connected amusement astatine the Guggenheim Museum successful New York. | Photo Credit: AP
Though it was ne'er recovered — and apt was melted down for currency — 3 men were convicted successful transportation with the theft.
On Thursday (November 20, 2025), a self-portrait by Frida Kahlo has a accidental of mounting a grounds for a pistillate creator erstwhile it goes connected sale, besides astatine Sotheby’s successful New York.
Estimated astatine $40 to $60 million, the 1940 portion called “The Dream (The Bed)” shows the Mexican creator sleeping successful a furniture overshadowed by a ample skeleton.
A coating by Frida Kahlo titled “El sueño (La cama) (The Dream (The Bed))” is displayed astatine Sotheby's auction rooms successful London connected September 19, 2025. | Photo Credit: AP
The astir costly coating by a pistillate creator sold to day is simply a 1932 enactment by American Georgia O’Keeffe, which fetched $44.4 cardinal successful 2014.
The grounds for Frida Kahlo is different self-portrait from 1949, “Diego and I”, which sold for $34.4 cardinal successful New York.
Visitors look astatine a Frida Kahlo coating titled, “Diego y yo (Diego and I) connected show astatine Sotheby's auction location during a property preview successful New York connected November 5, 2021. | Photo Credit: AP
