‘Walking Man’ is World’s Highest Selling Artwork at $104 Million

Arts & Culture: Alberto Giacometti’s life-size bronze cast, L’Homme Qui Marche I, was sold by Sotheby’s Auctions the other day for $104,327,006, according to ArtInfo. It sold for nearly five times its estimated price. The sculpture, which is also know as the “Walking Man,” supplants Pablo Picasso’s Garçon à la Pipe, 1905, which sold for $104.1 million.

Prior to the auction, a sculpture by Constantine Brancusi’s, Madame L.R. (Portrait de Mme L.R.), circa 1914–17, was the highest price paid for a sculpture sold at auction. It sold for $37.7 million. Giacometti’s previous best-selling piece was the Grand Femme Debout II, 1959–60. It was auctioned by Christie’s New York at $27.48 million in May 2008.

While no names were divulged, it was reported that at least four bidders were briskly following uphill after Giacometti’s “Walking Man.” It is believed that there are two versions of “Walking Man.” The first one produced was commissioned by a German bank and is privately owned.