«GOOD BUSINESS IS THE BEST ART»

A private collector, bidding by telephone, bought Munch’s Expressionist lithograph “Madonna” at the Bonhams July 13 print sale.The 1.3 million pounds ($2 million) price, with fees, was a U.K. auction record for a print and doubled the 500,000-pound low estimate, based on hammer prices, said Bonhams.The Norwegian artist’s quasi-religious portrayal of a seductress was inspired by his mistress, Dagny Juel. After numerous affairs, Juel was shot dead at the age of 33 by a young lover in a hotel in Tbilisi.

Blooomberg
July 25 2010