Michelangelo drawing sells for €23.2 million at Christie's Paris, setting record

A rare nude drawing by a young Michelangelo Buonarroti sold for €23.2 million at Christie's single-lot sale in Paris, setting a new record for the Renaissance master and the highest price ever for a work on paper in Europe. The drawing, which references a figure from Masaccio's Baptism of the Neophytes in the Brancacci Chapel in Florence, had been in private hands for a long time. Bidding started at €15 million and quickly reached a hammer price of €20 million, with the final total including buyer's premium. Although the result fell below the pre-sale estimate of €30 million, it still achieved a record for Michelangelo. Stijn Alstens, Christie's international head of old master drawings, expressed pride in rediscovering the work and facilitating its sale, calling the price a testament to enduring admiration for the artist. The sale occurred after Christie's moved from New York to Paris, following a week of high-profile auctions in the US.