Picasso masterpieces sell for over $100m at Las Vegas auction

Eleven masterpieces by Pablo Picasso fetched $108.9 million at a Sotheby’s auction in Las Vegas. The works went under the hammer at the Bellagio hotel and casino, known for its extensive art collection, ahead of what would have been the Spanish painter’s 140th birthday.

The jewel in the crown of MGM Resort’s auctioned collection was ‘Femme au beret rouge-orange’ one of the last portraits by the artist of Marie-Therese Walter, who he began an affair with when she was 17 years old, and inspired many of his most celebrated works. It sold for nearly $40.5 million after a starting price was estimated at $20-30 million. — AFP