Arts Desk
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
PORTRAIT OF WASHINGTON FETCHES RECORD PRICE A portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart sold for $8.1 million to an anonymous bidder yesterday at Sotheby’s, setting a record for an American portrait at auction. The price was below the presale estimate of $10 million to $15 million. A second Stuart portrait of the first U.S. president failed to sell. It had been estimated at $6 million to $8 million. The two portraits were among a group of works put up for auction by the New York Public Library to raise money for its endowment. Thirteen of the 16 lots were sold for a combined $15.6 million, well below the presale total estimate of $22 to $31 million.
