Sotheby's: Record Sale for Picabia at Paris Auction

A logo is pictured on Sotheby's in Geneva, Switzerland, June 21, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
A logo is pictured on Sotheby's in Geneva, Switzerland, June 21, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
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Sotheby's: Record Sale for Picabia at Paris Auction

A logo is pictured on Sotheby's in Geneva, Switzerland, June 21, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
A logo is pictured on Sotheby's in Geneva, Switzerland, June 21, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

A painting by Francis Picabia sold on Wednesday for 10 million euros ($11 million), Sotheby's said, in a record for a work by the late French surrealist painter.

"Pavonia", painted in 1929, was among several works by surrealists that the auction house sold for a total of 33 million euros ($36 million) in the French capital, it said in a statement.

"We're particularly proud of having set a new world record for Picabia," said auction director Thomas Bompard.

Another work by the artist had previously sold for 8 million euros ($8.8 million), AFP said.

"Pavonia" depicts overlapping images inspired by motifs in the ancient city of Pompeii.

It was first commissioned by art dealer Leonce Rosenberg to decorate his wife's bedroom in their Parisian apartment.

Among the other paintings on sale, Belgian artist Rene Magritte's "Le paysage fantome" went for 2.1 million euros ($2.3 million) and his "Le Palais de la Courtisane" for 2 million euros ($2.2 million).

They fetched far less than his "L'Empire des lumieres", which was sold for £59.4 million ($79.4 million, 71.4 million euros) at the start of the month, shattering the record for one of his works.



Heavy Rain in Northern Japan Triggers Floods, Landslides

A road is flooded after a heavy rain in Sakata, Yamagata prefecture, northern Japan Friday, July 26, 2024. Heavy rain hit northern Japan Thursday, triggering floods and landslides, disrupting transportation systems and forcing hundreds of residents to take shelter at safer grounds. (Kyodo News via AP)
A road is flooded after a heavy rain in Sakata, Yamagata prefecture, northern Japan Friday, July 26, 2024. Heavy rain hit northern Japan Thursday, triggering floods and landslides, disrupting transportation systems and forcing hundreds of residents to take shelter at safer grounds. (Kyodo News via AP)
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Heavy Rain in Northern Japan Triggers Floods, Landslides

A road is flooded after a heavy rain in Sakata, Yamagata prefecture, northern Japan Friday, July 26, 2024. Heavy rain hit northern Japan Thursday, triggering floods and landslides, disrupting transportation systems and forcing hundreds of residents to take shelter at safer grounds. (Kyodo News via AP)
A road is flooded after a heavy rain in Sakata, Yamagata prefecture, northern Japan Friday, July 26, 2024. Heavy rain hit northern Japan Thursday, triggering floods and landslides, disrupting transportation systems and forcing hundreds of residents to take shelter at safer grounds. (Kyodo News via AP)

Heavy rain hit northern Japan Thursday, triggering floods and landslides, disrupting transportation systems and forcing hundreds of residents to take shelter at safer grounds.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued emergency warnings of heavy rain for several municipalities in the Yamagata and Akita prefecture, where warm and humid air was flowing.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urged the affected area’s residents to “put safety first” and pay close attention to the latest information from the authorities.

According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, one person went missing in Yuzawa city — in the Akita prefecture — after being hit by a landslide at a road construction site.

Rescue workers in the city evacuated 11 people from the flooded area with the help of a boat.

In the neighboring Yamagata prefecture, more than 10 centimeters (4 inches) of rain fell in the hardest-hit Yuza and Sakata towns within an hour earlier Thursday.

Thousands of residents in the area were advised to take shelter at higher and safer grounds, but it was not immediately known how many people took that advice.

Yamagata Shinkansen bullet train services were partially suspended on Thursday, according to East Japan Railway Company.

The agency predicted up to 20 centimeters (8 inches) of more rainfall in the region through Friday evening, urging residents to remain cautious.