After Sale, Freud Becomes Priciest Living Artist
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LONDON — British painter Lucian Freud became the auction world’s highest-priced living European artist last night at a Christie’s International sale in London that raised $147.5 million, close to its top estimate.
Mr. Freud, best known for his Kate Moss nude painting, overtook Peter Doig, whose “White Canoe” painting was bought in February for 5.7 million pounds at Sotheby’s.
A phone bidder bought Mr. Freud’s 1992 portrait of photo editor Bruce Bernard for 7.9 million pounds, including commission, from Elaine and Melvin Merians, retired U.S. business executives. “Deservedly, Freud overtook Doig,” born in 1959, said New York-based private dealer Christopher Eykyn, who bought another Freud portrait of Bernard for a client last year.
Mr. Freud, born in 1922, was one of 14 artists who set records at the auction, including Kara Walker, Thomas Schutte, Christopher Wool, Piero Manzoni (whose 1959 “Achrome” Eykyn bid on), Paula Rego, and R.B. Kitaj, who collects Freud works.
