Picasso's works sell for nearly US$110 million in Las Vegas auction
CTV
A selection of 11 Pablo Picasso works have been auctioned for a collective total of more than US$110 million, after being on display for years in a Las Vegas restaurant.
Part of the MGM Resorts Collection, the pieces were a hallmark of the Bellagio Hotel's Michelin-starred French and Spanish eatery "Picasso," which is inspired by the artist's life and work.
Coinciding with the artist's 140th birthday, MGM said the auction was the "largest and most significant" fine art sale ever to take place in Las Vegas. Organized by Sotheby's, it was the auction house's first evening marquee sale to take place outside New York.
The star attraction of Saturday's auction was "Femme au béret rouge-orange," or "Woman in a reddish-orange hat," a 1938 portrait of Picasso's lover and muse Marie-Thérèse Walter.
The Spanish artist's affair with Walter lasted from the late 1920s to the 1930s, and she gave birth to their daughter Maya in 1935. Picasso's portraits of Walter are characterized by vivid colors and a sense of intimacy.
