PARIS (AFP) — A painting by the celebrated Spanish artist Joan Miro sold for a record 11.6 million euros (16.7 million dollars) in Paris Friday -- the highest price ever for one of his works, the auctioneers Drouot said.
The 1927 painting "Blue Star" had been estimated at between five to seven million euros, and was considered by Miro himself as the key work of his output.
The sale was part of an auction of ten works, including pieces by Picasso, Juan Gris, Leger, and Laurens which sold for a total of 21.8 million euros.
"Bird", another work by Miro, went for 6.2 million euros after being valued at between 2.5 to 3.5 million euros. Juan Gris's oil-painting "The Guitar Player" from 1918 was sold for 2.17 million euros, a record in France for the artist.
The artworks were bought by European collectors, according to Drouot.
Kept in a bank vault for 40 years, they came from the collection of Andre Lefevre, a banker and art patron of the first half of the 20th century.
Some 270 works of art from the same collection were sold off at auction during the 1960s in Paris -- in high-profiles sales which captured the imagination of the public at the time.
Lefevre's relatives had held on to these ten paintings until now.
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