PARIS.- A portrait of the French actress Brigitte Bardot made by the painter Kees van Dongen sold this Saturday for 1.35 million euros at an auction held in Paris, within the framework of Art Basel Paris week, reported the Artcurial auction house.
The work, preserved for more than 60 years in the artist’s workshop, starred in an intense 40-minute bidding during the sale of modern and contemporary art, Artcurial said in a statement.
The portrait, titled ‘BB aux yeux d’autruche’ (BB with ostrich eyes), was made in 1959 and had gone on the market with an estimate of between 800,000 and 1.2 million euros.
It is an oil on canvas measuring 130 by 97 centimeters that shows Bardot in the years after the premiere of ‘And God Created Woman’ (1956), a film that helped make her an international icon.
The photo session in which the portrait was taken was organized by Paris Match magazine and documented by photographer Izis, according to Artcurial.
Van Dongen, born in the Netherlands and established in Paris, was one of the leading portrait painters of 20th century French society. Her style is characterized by intense colors and contrasts, present in the yellow background of Bardot’s portrait.
A Gauguin and a Basquiat, also up for auction
The three sessions of modern, contemporary art and contemporary ceramics organized by the auction house on Friday and Saturday raised a total of 20.88 million euros, commissions included, from the sale of 220 lots.
Among the main awards was the painting ‘Breton et Bretonne au Pouldu’, by Paul Gauguin, which reached 2.61 million euros, while an untitled work by Jean-Michel Basquiat, dated 1981, sold for 1.06 million euros.
‘La petite Fenêtre’, by Pierre Bonnard, reached 1.44 million euros, while ‘L’Île Chevalier’, by Maurice Denis, was awarded for 900,320 euros.
