News - Auctions Kick Off With Soutine and Schiele Sales - London

So, Chaim Soutine’s superb, just a little gory, ‘Le Boeuf Ecorche’, aka the ‘Flayed Carcass’, sold for a whooping great £7.8 million last night at Christie’s International – almost double the price that the house had originally expected for the painting. The work, which is often compared to Rembrandt’s ‘Slaughtered Ox’ (1655), was painted in 1924 and is part of a several 'carcass' works that Soutine created. Fairly contemporary in its look and feel, the piece was popular and was eventually bought by a phone bidder, hitting a record price paid for a Soutine at Christie’s. Meanwhile, New York’s Abigail Asher apparently picked up an Egon Schiele for £4.2 million. Weirdly, a Picasso valued at £2.5 million failed to sell. This story was originally reported by Linda Sandler at Bloomberg.