Degas, Picasso Sculptures Bring Record Prices in New York

A woman looks at Pablo Picasso's "Tete de femme" during Christie's 20th and 21st Century Art press preview in New York on April 29, 2022 Angela Weiss AFP/File
A woman looks at Pablo Picasso's "Tete de femme" during Christie's 20th and 21st Century Art press preview in New York on April 29, 2022 Angela Weiss AFP/File
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Degas, Picasso Sculptures Bring Record Prices in New York

A woman looks at Pablo Picasso's "Tete de femme" during Christie's 20th and 21st Century Art press preview in New York on April 29, 2022 Angela Weiss AFP/File
A woman looks at Pablo Picasso's "Tete de femme" during Christie's 20th and 21st Century Art press preview in New York on April 29, 2022 Angela Weiss AFP/File

A sculpture by Edgar Degas sold Thursday for $41.6 million at Christie's in New York, the highest price paid at auction for a work by the French artist, while a bronze by Pablo Picasso also broke a record.

The Degas sculpture -- "Petite danseuse de quatorze ans" -- is a delicate bronze with a brown patina depicting a young ballerina in a muslin skirt with a ribbon in her hair, AFP said.

It is not the original -- which is on display at the National Gallery of Art in Washington -- but a cast made by Adrien-Aurelien Hebrard 10 years after the 1917 death of the impressionist.

That did not stop it from setting a new record for Degas, easily topping the previous high of 22.2 million euros set by another version of the same work in 2015.

The sculpture that sold on Thursday was one of 12 pieces from the collection of Anne Bass, an American businesswoman who died in 2020.

She was the patron of several major American museums and the New York ballet, and was the wife of billionaire oil heir Sid Bass.

Among her collection were two paintings by American expressionist Marc Rothko, of which "Untitled (Shades of red)" sold for $66.8 million, and three works by Claude Monet.

His "Parlement, soleil couchant," a dark but luminous oil on canvas, sold for $75.96 million.

Christie's also announced that Picasso's "Tete de femme (Fernande)" became the artist's most expensive bronze ever sold at auction, at $48.48 million.

The Spaniard held the record for the most expensive work of 20th Century artwork ever sold at auction until Monday night, when an iconic portrait of Marilyn Monroe by American pop artist Andy Warhol brought in $195 million.

Picasso's "Les Femmes d'Alger (Version '0')" had previously set the record at $179.4 million in 2015.



Kate, Princess of Wales, to Present Women's Singles Trophy at Wimbledon

Britain’s Kate, Princess of Wales awaits the arrival of France’s President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron in Windsor, England, Tuesday July 8, 2025, on the first day of a three-day state visit to Britain. (Chris Jackson/Pool via AP)
Britain’s Kate, Princess of Wales awaits the arrival of France’s President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron in Windsor, England, Tuesday July 8, 2025, on the first day of a three-day state visit to Britain. (Chris Jackson/Pool via AP)
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Kate, Princess of Wales, to Present Women's Singles Trophy at Wimbledon

Britain’s Kate, Princess of Wales awaits the arrival of France’s President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron in Windsor, England, Tuesday July 8, 2025, on the first day of a three-day state visit to Britain. (Chris Jackson/Pool via AP)
Britain’s Kate, Princess of Wales awaits the arrival of France’s President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron in Windsor, England, Tuesday July 8, 2025, on the first day of a three-day state visit to Britain. (Chris Jackson/Pool via AP)

Kate, the Princess of Wales, is set to present the trophy to the winner of the women's singles final at Wimbledon on Saturday after opting not to attend the match last year while she was recovering from cancer.

The All England Club said Kate, the wife of Prince William, will be back in the Royal Box on Center Court for the match between eighth-seeded Iga Swiatek and No. 13 Amanda Anisimova. She will then take part in the on-court trophy presentation, The AP news reported.

Kate has been the patron of the All England Club since 2016 and has regularly attended the men's and women's finals. However, she was not there when Barbora Krejcikova defeated Jasmine Paolini for the women's title last year.

She did hand the trophy to Carlos Alcaraz after his victory over Novak Djokovic in the men's final, when she made only her second public appearance since announcing she was diagnosed with cancer.

She has been gradually returning to public duties since since announcing last fall that she had completed chemotherapy, and took part in welcoming French President Emmanuel Macron during his state visit to Britain this week.