Hockney Sells for USD 90 Million, Sets Living Artist Record

An iconic swimming pool picture painted by British legend David Hockney sold for $90.3 million in New York on Thursday, setting a new auction record for a living artist, Christie's said, reports AFP.

"Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)" was snapped up after more than nine minutes of bidding, dominated by two rival telephone bidders. The previous record was held by Jeff Koons and his "Balloon Dog (Orange)," which sold for $58.4 million at Christie's in 2013.

It was standing room only in the packed sales room at Christie's in New York, where a smattering of applause broke out when the sale concluded, the painting hammering for $80 million.

The buyer's premium took the final price to $90,312,500, the auction house announced.

Christie's had estimated the 1972 oil painting at $80 million and called the Hockney "one of the great masterpieces of the modern era."

"We rarely can say, 'This is the one opportunity to buy the best painting from the artist'," Ana Maria Celis, vice president of post-war and contemporary art at Christie's had said before the sale.

"This is it."