How does Woman with Flowered Hat elucidate its Auction record?
On May 15, 2013, the painting sold for $56.1 million, including fees, at Christie's. It was bought by jeweller Laurence Graff who said: "It's a masterpiece and when you see a major one like this come up for sale, you only get one chance to get it...Plus, I've got a big birthday coming up." Graff, whose 75th birthday is on June 13, outbid three telephone bidders with a winning bid of $50 million and auction fees that brought the total to $56.1 million.  The auction, which was expected to exceed $30 million, coincided with the Lichtenstein retrospective being held at the Tate Modern. The retrospective had visited The Art Institute of Chicago from May 16 to September 3, 2012 and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. from October 14, 2012 to January 13, 2013 before its February 21 to May 27 run at the Tate Modern and finale at The Centre Pompidou from July 3 to November 4, 2013. On May 9, 2012, the painting Sleeping Girl (1964) from the collection of Beatrice and Phillip Gersh had established the previous Lichtenstein record $44.8 million at Sotheby's.
Art Institute of Chicago National Gallery of Art Sleeping Girl Tate Modern Washington, D.C. Christie's Laurence Graff Centre Pompidou Sotheby's The Centre Pompidou