Kadinsky recovered painting auctioned at nearly $45m

At Sotheby’s in London, a painting by Russian Modernist Wassily Kandinsky that previously belonged to Holocaust survivors sold for £37.2 million ($44.55 million).

Murnau with Kirche II (Murnau with Church II; 1910), which was offered as part of the auction house’s Modern & Contemporary Evening Auction on Wednesday, fetched the highest price and set a new auction record for the artist.

According to the auction house, the sale of Kandinsky’s “Bild mit weissen Linien” for £33 million ($39.7 million) in 2017 broke the previous world record for a piece of his art.

Helena Newman, Chairman of Sotheby’s Europe and Worldwide Head of Impressionist & Modern Art, said in a statement that “Kandinsky’s Murnau period came to define abstract art for future generations.

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“The appearance of such an important painting—one of the last of this period and scale remaining in private hands – is a major moment for the market and for collectors.”