Lichtenstein painting pops record at Christie's

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NEW YORK: Pop art mainstay Roy Lichtenstein's painting "Ohhh... Alright..." has sold at Christie's in New York for a record 42.6 million dollars.

The oil and magna on canvas, painted in 1964, set a new high for the much sought-after artist, whose previous record price was 16.2 million dollars back in 2005.

The cartoon-style painting, featuring a close-up of a beautiful young woman holding a telephone and saying in a speech bubble, "Ohhh... Alright...," went to an anonymous phone bidder, Christie's said.

"'Ohhh...Alright...' characterizes the Lichtenstein's captivation and inspiration with techniques of commercial printing and reproduction articulated in his signature Ben-Day dots," Christie's said.

The sale was the star of the contemporary auction held at Christie's the day after rival Sotheby's sold an Andy Warhol painting titled "Large Coca Cola" for 35.3 million dollars.

Christie's hotly anticipated sale of another Andy Warhol, "Big Campbell's Soup Can with Can Opener (Vegetable)," proved a disappointment. It had been expected to sell for between 30 and 50 million dollars, but eventually went for 23.8 million dollars.

On Monday, a Warhol painting featuring Elizabeth Taylor and her husbands, "Men in her life," sold at Phillips de Pury auctioneers for a huge 63.3 million dollars -- not far off the 71.7 million dollars record.

Christie's recorded a total haul on Wednesday of 272.8 million dollars, with 93 percent of lots selling. The Warhol was "short of our expectations a bit, but it is still a very strong sale," a Christie's expert said afterwards.

Among other success stories was a Jeff Koons sculpture "Balloon Flower (Blue)" which sold for 16.8 million dollars to New York gallery L and M Arts LLC.

There was also a record for Alexander Calder, whose red, iron sculpture "Red Curlicue," made in 1973, sold for 6.3 million dollars, topping the previous 5.8-million-dollar record.