The most dramatic moment of the YSL may not have been the records set for Brancusi, Mondrian or Matisse. Instead, the bidding on Marcel Duchamp’s Belle Haleine: Eau de Voilette, which reached $8.9 million in slow, measured but incessant bidding. The original high estimate was “only” €1.5m. In Reuters auction wrap-up, Thomas Seydoux of Christie’s made this comment:

“We saw two collectors who I think were American, who had been waiting for so long for a Dada work that they were fighting with all their heart,” he said.

Record Breaking YSL Art Auction Defies Crisis (Reuters)