«GOOD BUSINESS IS THE BEST ART»

The world may be embroiled in a crippling credit crisis, but that didn't stop collectors from paying record prices at what Christie's is calling the "sale of the century." The auction house brought in $262 million in its first night of the three day sale of Yves Saint Laurent and partner Pierre Berge's 733-piece art collection. During the sale's first night, collectors acted as if they were dancing on the Titanic, paying record prices for Brancusi, Matisse and Mondrian. A three-foot Brancusi wooden sculpture went for $36,792,835 (realized price without fees). The most recent Brancusi record was for "Bird in Space" which sold for $27.4 million in 2005. Other sales records from the night:

HENRI MATISSE Les coucous, tapis bleu et rose: $45,264,579
PIET MONDRIAN Composition avec bleu, rouge, jaune et noir: $27,191,525

-The Huffington Post
Feb 23 2009