Juan Muñoz Sculpture

Juan Muñoz sculpture sold for 3.6 million euros in London

"Conversation Piece" by the Spanish sculptor Juan Muñoz, who perished in August 2001, became the artist's most expensive piece of work when it was sold in a contemporary art auction held at Sotheby's in London yesterday.

The piece, comprising two bronze figures, sold for 3 million pounds (3.6 million euros), a record for the Madrid-born sculptor's work, according to a announcement from Sotheby's.

"Conversation Piece" is one of two works with the same title forming part of one of the sculptor's best-known series, and came from a private European collection.

The first one, which reached a record price for a Muñoz piece, far exceeded Sotheby's initial estimate of to and from 800,000 and 1.2 million pounds to and from 935,000 and 1.4 million euros) and the auction room burst into applause when the hammer finally fell on the sale. Sotheby's have not if any details in the region the successful bidder.

The second piece, with the same title but cast in polyester resin and representing three characters chatting together, was sold for 937,000 pounds (1.1 million euros).

Another of the outstanding works offered by Sotheby's yesterday was "Nine Multicoloured Marilyns" (acrylic and silkscreen inks on canvas), from the series "Reversal" by Andy Warhol, depicting the face of the legendary actress Marilyn Monroe nine times over. It sold for 3.2 million pounds (3.8 million euros).