Bea Arthur Topless Painting Sells for $1.9 Million - East Idaho News
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Bea Arthur Topless Painting Sells for $1.9 Million

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Getty 051613 BeaArthur?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1368724569077CBS Worldwide Inc.(NEW YORK) — A topless painting of actress Bea Arthur sold for nearly $2 million Wednesday night at a Christie’s auction in New York City.

The New York Post reports artist John Currin’s “Bea Arthur Naked” was purchased over the phone by an anonymous bidder for $1.9 million.

The Golden Girls actress never sat for the painting by Currin, who is known for creating campy works of art featuring women in provocative positions.  When it came out in 1991, the painting was blasted by art critics for being sexist and misogynistic.  According to the newspaper, Currin’s work is now widely acclaimed and many of his paintings hang in museums.

“Bea Arthur Naked” depicts the veteran TV actress with a blank expression and bare sagging breasts. Christie’s spokesman Koji Inoue described the oil on canvas painting as “visually lasting.”

Arthur died in 2009 at the age of 86.

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