Third version of “Washington Crossing the Delaware” costs $ 45 million » news and photos

People: Third version of “Washington Crossing the Delaware” costs 45 million dollars

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The previous record for a painting by Emanuel Leutze was surpassed around ten times on Friday night. The hammer price was $39 million plus a buyer’s fee of $5.045 million. The picture by the painter, who was born in Gmünd, became the fourth most expensive object in this auction — after Jackson Pollock, Vincent Van Gogh and a bust by Pablo Picasso.

Friday, May 13, 2022
Gerald Bauer
1 minute 1 second reading time

Not only the sellers and the Christie’s auction house benefit from this increase in value, but also the Museum im Prediger Schwäbisch Gmünd, whose world’s largest collection of Leutze works has increased enormously in value. Ultimately, Leutze would also be happy, especially since it will be his 206th birthday in twelve days and the Leutze Club is currently preparing a birthday present for him.

The “Evening Sale” at the auction house Christie’s in New York only started at 8 p.m. local time, so that in Germany you had to be awake at 2 a.m. on Friday morning to be able to watch the auction live. But staying up was worth it, because it was a night of superlatives. There were ‘only’ 44 works on offer, but it was the crème de la crème of art from the 1880s to the 1980s, from Van Gogh to Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Cezanne to Picasso, Chagall, Warhol and de Kooning.

Leutze came about in the middle, in 18th place.

Read more about the auction and the importance of the Gmünder Leutze collection! The RZ reports in detail in the Saturday edition.

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