Nude Bruni snap smashes auction estimate

A NUDE photo of the new high-profile wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy smashed its auction estimate as it sold for more than $90,000 (€57,532) in New York, Christie’s said.

The image of glamorous first lady Carla Bruni was taken by photographer Michel Comte 15 years ago and shows a younger, nude Ms Bruni facing the camera with her hands crossed at her waist.

A buyer for a Chinese art collector yesterday bought the black-and-white 1993 photo for $91,000, more than 22 times its estimate. The photo had been expected to fetch between $3,000 and $4,000.