Iconic sculpture by Edgar Degas auctioned by Sotheby’s for a record sum of $19.1 million


I can’t get over the whopping sums that are shelled out by buyers during various auctions. Sir John Madejski made £8million profit when Edgar Degas’s iconic sculpture’s fetched £13.3million ($19.1 million) at Sotheby’s in London. Sir John, chairman of Reading Football Club, paid £5million in February 2004 for Petite danseuse de quatorze ans (Little dancer, aged 14). A private Asian collector finally emerged the victor after a fierce bidding battle between three would-be buyers, setting a Degas sculpture’s record price. The beautiful sculpture from the Impressionist period captures a young ballet dancer assuming a delicate and subtle pose. It is considered one of Degas’ most ambitious and iconic works. Marie van Goethem’s sculpture was the only one exhibited by the French artist during his lifetime. The wax statue had created quite a stir when it was first exhibited in 1881, and since then, it has become one of the few handfuls of casts to have remained in private hands.

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A beauty, we bet Sir John Madejski is quite happy about this record sale.
[Dailymail]

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