London (AFP)
"The Splash", one of David Hockney's most iconic plunge pool paintings, was sold for 23.1 million pounds (27.4 million Euros) at Sotheby's in London on Tuesday evening, the third prize the highest for a painting by the British painter at auction.
"The Splash", painted in 1966, represents the moment just after the diver entered the pool water, and captures the essence of the California lifestyle, where Hockney lives.
"It is not only a striking canvas in Hockney's work, but also an icon of Pop Art which defines an era and also shaped the visual identity of LA (Los Angeles)", commented Emma Baker, manager of the sale of contemporary art from the American auction house.
The anonymous buyer has to pay almost 8 times what the seller paid in 2006 (2.9 million pounds).
The record for a Hockney painting at auction is held by "Portrait of an artist", which was sold for $ 90 million in 2018 in New York. It was then a record for a living artist.
© 2020 AFP