Picasso sculpture sells of $29m at auction

A sculpture by Pablo Picasso fetched almost $29.16m (€19.9m) when it was sold at auction, Sotheby’s said.

A sculpture by Pablo Picasso fetched almost $29.16m (€19.9m) when it was sold at auction in New York last night, Sotheby’s said.

It had never been sold at auction before.

A Sotheby’s spokesman said Dora Maar was one of the women “who inspired Picasso’s art more than any other”.

The evening sale of Impressionist and Modern Art also saw Paul Gauguin’s 'Te Poipoi (The Morning)', one of the greatest Tahitian scenes by the artist remaining in private hands, fetch $39.24m (€26.7m).

Owned by the family of renowned American collector Joan Whitney Payson for the last 62 years, the work presents a highly idealised version of paradise, untouched by western influence, Sotheby’s said.