New York's art auction season got under way overnight with the record for a painting by French artist Henri Matisse falling at Christie's sale of impressionist and modern art.
Matisse's L'Odalisque, harmonie bleue, painted in 1937 and portraying his Russian model at the time, went for $US33.6 million ($35.8 million) - far above the upper estimate of $US20 million.
The previous record for the artist stood at $US21.7 million.
Other highlights of the sale were the 1916 work Portrait du sculpteur Oscar Miestchaninoff by Amedeo Modigliani, which fetched $US30.8 million - just below the current record for the Italian artist.
Pablo Picasso's 1955 work Femme accroupie au costume turc (Jacqueline) also went for $US30.8 million.
His Homme a la pipe fetched $US16.8 million, roughly in line with expectations.
His Tete de femme (Dora Maar), meanwhile, reached $US16.2 million.
The record for a painting by Alberto Giacometti fell twice during the sale. First with Atelier I, a 1950 painting of the Swiss artist's studio, and later with the portrait Annette au manteau, which fetched $US11.2 million.
Other notable lots included a still life by French post-impressionist Paul Gauguin, Nature morte aux fruits et piments, which went for $US12.3 million.
A pointillist landscape, Cassis, Cap Canaille, by Paul Signac fetched $US13.5 million and set a new record for the artist.
However several works by Picasso, Paul Cezanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Marc Chagall disappointingly failed to meet their reserves.
The impressionist and modern sales continue at Sotheby's auction house tonight, with works by Gauguin, Vincent Van Gogh and Picasso among the highlights. © 2007 Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Comment and add to the story without registration, but keep the comments meaningful please. Links are not accepted.
