LONDON (Reuters) - A Monet water-lily painting sold for 41 million pounds ($80.5 million) Tuesday, doubling the previous auction record for the artist and ensuring London's key art market season got off to a flying start.
"Le Bassin aux Nympheas" had been expected to fetch 18-24 million pounds, but after an intense bidding battle it smashed the previous Monet auction record of $41.5 million set in May.
It was part of the evening sale of impressionist and modern art at Christie's which raised 144 million pounds ($283 million), the highest total for an auction in Europe. All figures include buyers' premiums.
Olivier Camu, head of impressionist and modern art at Christie's in London, said the sale "illustrates the continuing strength and confidence of the art market."
Some experts have predicted a correction or even collapse in values due to deepening economic gloom caused by falling stocks, rising oil prices and the mortgage meltdown.
Christie's, its main rival Sotheby's and other London auction houses hold a series of sales of modern and contemporary art over the next 10 days during which works worth more than $1 billion will go under the hammer.
Elsewhere in the evening sale, a pastel picture by Degas sold for 13.5 million pounds ($26.5 million), well above its pre-sale estimate of around 5 million and the second highest price paid for the artist at auction.
RICH RUSSIANS
Friday 27 June 2008
Thursday 19 June 2008
Poor 'deserve more'
Rock star and poverty activist Bono says Japan's pledge to double its aid to Africa is "fantastic news" but poor nations deserved more. Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda is expected to formally announce the plan, which will see aid to Africa doubled by 2012, at the conference in Yokohama this week.
Wednesday 11 June 2008
James Morrison - Morrison Teams Up With Furtado
British singer JAMES MORRISON has joined forces with Canadian pop star NELLY FURTADO to record a duet for his forthcoming album.
The Beautiful World hitmaker met up with Furtado in Toronto, Canada on Tuesday (10Jun08) to record their new track Broken Strings.
Morrison's new album is due for release later this year (08).
See Also
Thursday 5 June 2008
Foxy Brown freed from prison in New York
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Foxy Brown was freed from a New York City prison on Friday after serving eight months of a one-year sentence stemming from an assault of two nail salon stylists over a $20 manicure.
Brown, 29, whose real name is Inga Marchand, was sentenced to three years' probation in October 2006 for assaulting the stylists. But in September 2007 a judge ruled she was not taking probation seriously and sent her prison for one year.
Inmates typically serve two-thirds of their sentence, said Stephen Morello, a Department of Corrections spokesman, adding that Brown had been released and driven from the Rikers Island prison by New York City Councilman Charles Barron.
He said this was a highly unusual move as inmates are usually taken from prison on a public bus and delivered to a city parking lot. But he said that as a public official, Barron had access to prison and had requested to pick up Brown.
Barron could not immediately be reached for comment.
In October authorities said Brown received 76 days in isolation in jail after getting into a shoving match with another inmate and refusing to do a drug test.
Then in January, Brown asked for early release to treat an ear condition she feared could threaten her hearing.
"Yes, I've made some bad choices and stupid mistakes. But please understand that sitting in a prison with murderers and criminals is not rehabilitating or what I need to deal with my inner issues," Brown wrote in a four-page handwritten letter to Judge Melissa Jackson.
Brown became the first female rap artist to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the U.S. pop chart encompassing all styles of music, with her 1999 album "Chyna Doll."
(Reporting by Edith Honan, editing by Michelle Nichols and Sandra Maler)
Brown, 29, whose real name is Inga Marchand, was sentenced to three years' probation in October 2006 for assaulting the stylists. But in September 2007 a judge ruled she was not taking probation seriously and sent her prison for one year.
Inmates typically serve two-thirds of their sentence, said Stephen Morello, a Department of Corrections spokesman, adding that Brown had been released and driven from the Rikers Island prison by New York City Councilman Charles Barron.
He said this was a highly unusual move as inmates are usually taken from prison on a public bus and delivered to a city parking lot. But he said that as a public official, Barron had access to prison and had requested to pick up Brown.
Barron could not immediately be reached for comment.
In October authorities said Brown received 76 days in isolation in jail after getting into a shoving match with another inmate and refusing to do a drug test.
Then in January, Brown asked for early release to treat an ear condition she feared could threaten her hearing.
"Yes, I've made some bad choices and stupid mistakes. But please understand that sitting in a prison with murderers and criminals is not rehabilitating or what I need to deal with my inner issues," Brown wrote in a four-page handwritten letter to Judge Melissa Jackson.
Brown became the first female rap artist to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the U.S. pop chart encompassing all styles of music, with her 1999 album "Chyna Doll."
(Reporting by Edith Honan, editing by Michelle Nichols and Sandra Maler)
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