On the Money

Edvard Munch, "Vampire (Love and Pain)"
$38,162,500 (est. in excess of $30 million)
Lot 21, Sotheby’s New York Impressionist & Modern Art Sale, November 3

An undisputed and decidedly sexy masterwork from the Norwegian prince of angst, this iconic composition from 1894, depicting a woman with long, flaming red tresses biting the neck of a submissive male, made a record price in a falling market. The unfettered wealth of oil-rich Norway has flung Munch’s star higher in the past few seasons, though this contest, with at least four suitors chasing the prize, including the winner from Texas, eclipsed the previous mark of $30,841,00, set by "Girls on a Bridge" (1902) at Sotheby’s New York in May 2008. It didn’t hurt that the painting had been on long-term loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art since 1996, marinating in value as the world at large sputtered to a financial halt. It is possible to argue that Munch is not in the class of, say, Picasso or other mythic moderns, but the instantly famous work, which the artist reprised in later years with feebler results, stands out as a world-class highlight of the auction season.

Courtesy Sotheby's