Sex and nudity sells, and it is little wonder than when nude photos, especially of celebrities like Desire Luzinda leak, Uganda is thrown into a frenzy.
The BBC reports that a painting by Italian artist Modigliani was sold at a New York auction on Monday for $170.4m (Shs588billion), the second-highest price ever for a work sold at auction.
The painting, titled Nu couche (Reclining Nude) painted between 1917 and 1918 was sold at Christie’s in New York to a Chinese collector.
It had never been sold at auction before, having been in the same private collection for about 60 years.
The top price achieved for an art work at auction was Picasso’s Les femmes d’Alger which sold for $179m (Shs619billion). It was also sold at the same art gallery in May this year.
Chinese billionaire Liu Yiqian confirmed to the New York Times that he had purchased the painting.
Who is Liu Yiqian?
Liu Yiqian is one of China’s biggest art collectors. Born in Shanghai in a working class family in 1963, he previously worked as a handbag seller and taxi driver. He made his fortune trading stocks in the 1980s and 1990s
Liu Yiqian and his wife have opened two art galleries in Shanghai. He is known for his high-profile bids and stunts – including when he drank from an ancient $36m ceremonial cup he had just bought at an auction in 2014.
