Nude painting sells for N56.7bn at New York auction

When it was first shown in 1917, Modigliani's Nu couche (sur le cote gauche) was considered so offensive that police shut the exhibition down. .
Just over a century later, the painting of the defiant nude woman has sold for $157.2m (N56.7bn)  at an auction in New York City. The figure paid for the work was $139m but the buyer's premium brought the total price up to $157.2m. .
The painting, which is Modigliani's largest at 147cm wide, was the highlight of the auction of impressionist and modern art at Sotheby's on Monday evening. .
It had the highest pre-auction estimate - $150m. The previous owner, based in the US, had bought the Modigliani in 2003 for $26.9m. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------