Tamara de Lempicka's La Belle Rafaƫla Sells for Record Price
Tamara de Lempicka's painting La Belle RafaĆ«la was auctioned by Sotheby's in London for Ā£7.47 million (approximately ā¬8.76 million). The auction was conducted by Helena Newman, chairman of Sotheby's Europe.
The work, painted in 1927, depicts Rafaƫla, Lempicka's muse and lover. It has been described as 'one of the most remarkable nudes of the 20th century.' The painting was last auctioned in 1985 in New York, where it sold for $242,000.
Tamara de Lempicka was born in 1894 in Warsaw. She studied at the AcadĆ©mie de la Grande ChaumiĆØre in Paris and became known in 1925. Her work, Portrait of Marjorie Ferry, sold in 2020 for Ā£16.3 million, a record price for her work.