Gustav Klimt portrait that played life-saving role in Holocaust sets modern art record of $236 million at auction

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Gustav Klimt's painting, Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer, sold for a record-breaking $236.4 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York. The bidding began at $130 million and lasted for 20 minutes, with six bidders competing. This sale marks the highest price ever paid for a modern artwork at auction. The painting, created between 1914 and 1916, depicts Lederer, the daughter of Klimt’s patrons, in a Chinese robe.