$22.4 million paid for painting by French artist

A painting of a young laundress by French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was sold for $22.4 million Tuesday night at Christie’s New York.

The sale toppled the artist’s previous record -- $14.5 million set in 1997 -- and marked the peak of a $160.9-million sale of Impressionist and Modern art, launching a two-week round of big-ticket auctions in Manhattan. Contemporary art will go on the block next week.

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-- Suzanne Muchnic