Modigliani Nude Painting Sells for 98.5 Billion Won, Sets European Auction Record

Joe Lewis Collection, Former Owner of Tottenham, Offered at Auction
European Record Set at Sotheby's London Sale
Klimt Portrait Also Sells for KRW 73.9 Billion After Fierce Bidding

A nude painting by Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani (1884–1920) has set a new record for the highest price ever achieved by his work at a European auction.

Works Featured in Sotheby's Auction. Photo by AFP Yonhap News Agency

According to a report by Yonhap News on June 24 (local time), citing AFP News Agency, Modigliani's "Seated Nude with Necklace" was sold at Sotheby's auction in London, United Kingdom, for $63.9 million (approximately KRW 98 billion). This is the highest price ever paid for one of his works at a European auction. The previous record was set by "Reclining Nude," which sold for $170.4 million in New York, United States, in 2015.

Modigliani is a renowned early 20th-century Italian painter, well-known for his distinctive portraits featuring elongated faces and necks and almond-shaped eyes. His series of nude paintings is considered among his most representative works.

This piece was part of the private collection of billionaire Joe Lewis (age 89), former owner of the Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. Lewis is recognized as a world-renowned collector who has amassed works by masters such as Modigliani, Picasso, René Magritte, and Gustav Klimt. In the same auction, a portrait by Klimt was sold to an Asian collector for $47.9 million (approximately KRW 73.9 billion) after competition among seven bidders.

The auction is being held over two days, from June 24 to 25. According to The New York Times, works from the Lewis Collection alone fetched approximately GBP 296.3 million (about KRW 601.9 billion) on the first day, setting a record for the highest amount ever realized by a single-owner collection at auction in London.

Total sales at Sotheby's on the first day reached GBP 393.4 million (about KRW 799.2 billion), also marking the highest figure in the history of London auctions. Experts have noted that this auction could serve as a symbolic indicator of recovery in the London art market, which had stagnated following Brexit.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.