- Sotheby's New York broke its own sales record this week when it sold a painting for $157.2 million at auction.
- The painting is by Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani, titled "Nu couché (sur le côté gauche)."
- The sale breaks the top 15 most expensive paintings ever sold via auction or private sale.
This week, Sotheby's New York broke its own sales record selling Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani's "Nu couché (sur le côté gauche)" for $157.2 million.
The work of art is Modigliani's largest piece — measuring 58 inches across, it was a part of his 1917 exhibition that redefined the fine art nude.
During Monday's Sotheby's auction other historic works were also up for purchase including Picasso's "Le Repos," which sold for $36.9 million, as well as Claude Monet's "Matinée sur la Seine."
Modigliani's "Nu couché (sur le côté gauche)" breaks the top 15 most expensive paintings ever sold during auctions and private sales, hedging out Gustav Klimt's "Adele Bloch-Bauer II," which sold for $150 million in 2016 during a private sale via Larry Gagosian.
Below, take a look at the most 15 most expensive paintings that have sold during auctions or via private sales.
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15. Jackson Pollock's "No. 5, 1948"— $140 million
Date sold: November 2, 2006
Price: $140 million
Type of sale: Private sale via Sotheby's
14. Francis Bacon's "Three Studies of Lucian Freud"— $142.4 million
Date sold: November 12, 2013
Price: $142.4 million
Type of sale: Christie's, New York, auction
13. Gustav Klimt's "Adele Bloch-Bauer II"— $150 million
Date sold: 2016
Price: $150 million
Type of sale: Private sale via Larry Gagosian
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