SOTHEBY'S SELLS RARE MANET SELF PORTRAIT FOR RECORD £22 MILLION

SOTHEBY'S, LONDON, SOLD A RARE EDOUARD MANET SELF-PORTRAIT FOR £22 MILLION ON TUESDAY, A RECORD PRICE FOR THE ARTIST BUT TOWARD THE LOWER END OF PRE-SALE EXPECTATIONS ON £20-30 MILLION. THE PAINTING, ONE OF ONLY TWO SELF-PORTRAITS BY THE ARTIST AND THE ONLY ONE IN PRIVATE HANDS, WAS THE CENTERPIECE OF THE AUCTIONEER'S MAIN IMPRESSIONIST AND MODERN ART SALE. OVERALL THE AUCTION FETCHED £112.1 MILLION, WITHIN EXPECTATIONS OF £101-148 MILLION. THREE HISTORIC WORKS OF ART OLD FOR EIGHT FIGURES, MANET'S 'SELF PORTRAIT WITH A PALETTE', ANDRE DERAIN'S 'ARBRES A COLLIOURE', WHICH SOLD FOR £16.3 MILLION, DOUBLE THE PREVIOUS RECORD FOR THE ARTIST, AND HENRI MATISSE'S 'ODALISQUES JOUANT AUX DAMES' WHICH SOLD FOR £11.8 MILLION. SOTHEBY'S SAID THE RESULTS WERE STRONG, ALTHOUGH THE AUCTION TOTAL WAS SMALLER THAN THE EQUIVALENT SALE IN LONDON IN FEBRUARY WHICH RAISED A STAGGERING £146.8 MILLION.