An Austrian painting by Gustav Klimt sold for $236.4 million on Tuesday, becoming the most expensive modern artwork ever sold at auction, Sotheby's auction house announced. The house explained that the painting 'Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer' became the second most expensive artwork ever sold at auction and the most expensive in Sotheby's history. The painting, painted by Klimt between 1914 and 1916, depicts the daughter of an industrialist couple who supported the artist on many occasions. Many interested parties participated in a bidding war that lasted 20 minutes, and the identity of the winning buyer was not immediately disclosed. The most expensive artwork ever sold at auction is 'Salvator Mundi' attributed to Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), which was sold in New York in 2017 for $450.3 million.
