New York – A sculpture of a kneeling Hitler by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan has sold for a record $17.2 million at a sale kicking off the weeklong New York auctions of modern, post-war and contemporary art at Christie’s and Sotheby’s.
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Also selling at Christie’s “Bound to Fail” themed auction Sunday night was Jeff Koons’ “One Ball Total Equilibrium Tank.” The ball suspended in a water tank has sold for $15.3 million, just over its $12 million estimate.
Both works came up for auction for the first time. There are 39 works in Christie’s sale.
Cattelan’s controversial sculpture “Him” appears as a small child kneeling in prayer when approached from the rear. But from the front, the unmistakable likeness of Hitler comes into view.
The previous auction record for a work by Cattelan was $7.9 million.
People are so weird. Seems a bit high for this sculpture. I wonder what the Stalin one is going fetch.