It was believed for some time the French billionaire Bernard Arnault bought the “Abstraktes Bild 849-3,” .Mr. Arnault is a big collector of contemporary art and will build a $200 million museum in Paris designed by the Los Angeles architect Frank Gehry.
However the Richter painting was purchased for $20.8 million by Lily Safra at a Sotheby’s auction in November.
Lily Safra the widow of the banker Edmond J. Safra, bought the Richter abstract, and immediately donated the painting to James S. Snyder, the director of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. “She said she had fallen in love with the painting and decided to give it to the museum in memory of her husband.
“Abstraktes Bild 849-3,” a dreamy 1997 canvas of pinks and blues, is the third and final painting in a series.
Continue reading »
