Lucian Freud lives to see it
Lucian Freud, the 85-year-old British painter, became the world’s priciest living artist at auction when his graceful portrait of a 280-pound civil servant named Sue fetched $33.6 million at Christie’s International in New York.
The 1995 Freud was one of eight records smashed in an exuberant sale Tuesday night featuring the male clique of auction stars that includes Andy Warhol, Francis Bacon and Richard Prince.
The top lot was a 1952 Mark Rothko painting, with red bands on a yellow background, that went for $50.4 million.
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