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A Turner panorama of Venice sold for almost 35.9 million dollars Thursday, smashing the world auction record for a British painting.
It was also the second highest price ever paid at auction for an Old Master painting, behind "The Massacre of the Innocents" by Pierre Paul Rubens, which sold in 2002 in London for 76.7 million dollars.
Touted as the finest Turner (1775-1851) to come to the market in a generation, "Giudecca, La Donna della Salute and San Giorgio" was the highlight of Christie's Old Masters sale in New York.
Nicholas Hall, international director of old master paintings at Christie's, voiced no great surprise that it sold way above the Christie's estimate of 25 million dollars.
"It was the right picture at the right time," Hall said, citing the painting's quality, its excellent condition and the current high in the international art market.
"It's not often that a bona fide masterpiece such as this comes up for public auction," he added.
After a tense hesitation around the 18-million-dollar mark, the bidding suddenly took off with two telephone bidders battling it out for the masterpiece.
The hammer finally came down at 32 million dollars which, with the buyers premium, meant a final price of 35,856,000 dollars.
Christie's staff would only identify the winner as a "private collector."
"Any nerves I had vanished when the bidding started," said auctioneer James Bruce-Gardyne.
"I was completely focused on trying to find other bidders and to keep the bidding going."
The masterpiece was one of three Venetian oil paintings exhibited by Turner in 1841 at the British Royal Academy, where it sold for 250 guineas (around 500 dollars).
It was based on a series of watercolours he painted during a visit to the Italian city the previous year.
The early bidding came from collectors attending the auction, before switching to the bank of phones at the side of the room.
"It was a fast-paced sale," said Bruce-Gardyne. "I know several people who came to bid but never even got a chance to get their hands up."
The painting was sold by the New York-based St. Francis of Assisi Foundation. A private collector donated the painting to the non-profit missionary organisation in 1992.
Last seen at a public auction in 1897, the painting broke the previous record for a British work held by John Constable's "The Lock" at just over 21 million dollars.
The previous highest price commanded by a Turner at auction was 9.05 million dollars paid for "Seascape, Folkestone" in 1984.
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AFP 061807 GMT 04 06
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