A record auction among the tables of “Sin City”. One day after the 140th anniversary of Pablo Picasso’s birth, eleven works by the Spaniard were auctioned by Sotheby’s in Las Vegas. The paintings were among the most precious jewels in the private collection of Steve Wynn, the king of American casinos, and were sold for almost 110 million dollars (over 94 million euros).
Among the works of art that animated the auction was the painting “Femme au be’ret rouge-orange” (Woman with a red-orange cap) one of the last portraits Picasso made of Marie-The’re ‘if Walter, Malaga muse and lover who inspired many of his most iconic works of the 1930s. The work was the one that grossed the most in the evening, sold for 40.479 billion dollars from an estimated starting price of 20-30 million. Another masterpiece, the portrait titled “Homme et Enfant” (Man and Child) sold for $ 24.4 million.
The event was held in the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, owned by Wynn himself who is also the head of the Wynn Resort hotel chain, a company from which he had to resign following allegations of sexual harassment against him. The Picassos were part of the collection started over 20 years ago, which also includes pieces by Bob Dylan and David Hockney. In addition to famous portraits, the auction included several ceramics, works on paper and some still lifes by the Spanish painter. At the Bellagio, in the restaurant specially named Picasso, 12 more works by the artist will remain on display.