Today is day two of the historic auction of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé’s art collection. Yesterday the auction raked in $261 million, nicely above the estimated $232 million, setting a world record for a private art sale. A cubist Picasso couldn’t fetch the asking price of 25 million euros and was put on hold, but a Matisse oil, Cuckoos on a blue and pink carpet, estimated to fetch $23 million, went for $46.5 million. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the people sitting in the Grand Palais bidding on this stuff are draped in fur and eveningwear. And, we imagine, blowing their noses with money. [AFP]
