Giacometti sculpture sells for record £65m
A new world record has been set for the most expensive piece of artwork to have ever sold at auction. The L'Homme qui marche I (Walking Man I), a sculpture by 20th century artist Alberto Giacometti, sold for an incredible £65,001,250.
Sotheby's, the auction house which oversaw the sale, had placed a pre-sale estimate of between £12 million and £18 million on the piece.
The hammer fell after just eight minutes of bidding, with an anonymous telephone buyer proving victorious.
Melanie Clore, Sotheby's worldwide co-chairman of impressionist and modern art told the Daily Telegraph that the price should not be interpreted as a general reflection of the art market.
She said: "I think the price we achieved is because this piece of art is an extremely rare masterpiece and it is important that one understands this price is not reflective of the whole art market."
Ms Clore went on to say that the sale showed the "huge interest" major collectors around the world had for "quality, rare and important masterpieces".
The previous record price for a piece of art sold at auction was Picasso's Garcon a la Pipe (Boy with a Pipe), which went for £58.5 million in 2004.
The L'Homme qui marche I was cast in 1961.
