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NEW YORK, Nov 2, 2005 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Toulouse-Lautrec's 1886 portrait of a red-haired laundress staring out a window was sold to an anonymous bidder for $22.4 million in a New York auction.
Christie's auction house sold 58 works for a total $160.9 million, the highest for a sale by various owners since the art market's peak 15 years ago, the New York Times reported Wednesday.
Three bidders fought for one of Monet's "Waterlillies" paintings, which went to a telephone bidder for $14 million.
An early Cézanne still life, "Apples and Cake" was among the most popular paintings at the auction. French dealer Marc Blondeau came out on top of a bidding war at $10.3 million, more than twice the painting's estimated value.
"At the end of the day there were a lot of people wanting to buy pictures," London dealer James Roundell told the Times. "And that is good for us."
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2005 by United Press International
