A topless painting of the late Golden Girls star Bea Arthur was among the works of art on sale during Christie’s record setting auction in New York last night. While the painting didn’t reach the levels of work by Roy Lichtenstein, Jackson Pollack or Jean-Michel Basquiat, it did reach Christie’s expectations.
Bea Arthur Naked was completed by John Currin in 1991 and shows the actress staring blankly at the viewer, who is probably a bit shocked to see the star in the nude.
According to The New York Post, this is exactly the type of painting Currin, who lives in Brooklyn, is known for. However, Arthur didn’t actually pose for Currin and the work was derided by critics.
“It’s historically significant — it’s radical to sexualize someone people think of as asexual,” Christie’s spokesman Koji Inoue said. “The painting has a visual toughness to it — but it’s also fun.”
Christie’s expected the piece to go between $1.8 million and $2.5 million and it eventually went for $1.9 million.
The sale totalled $495 million, breaking the all time record for a single art auction.
Arthur died in 2009 at the age of 86 and also starred on Maude.