Oh, someday girl, I don’t know when We’re gonna get to that place where we really wanna go And we’ll walk in the sun But ’til them, tramps like us Baby, we were born to run. Richard Prince’s ‘Runaway Nurse’ is truly his sexiest painting from the famed ‘Nurse’ series, based on the covers of pulp romance novels. The largest in format, with a bodice-ripped heroine enveloped in a deep dripping Rothko red background, this is one of the few paintings by Prince where the nurse is sexually dominant and definitely in control of her situation. A highlight of Christie’s spring season in New York, ‘Runaway Nurse’ is ranked amongst Prince’s best paintings – a modern day version of John Singer Sargent’s strapless ‘Madame X’ -she was just unveiled as part of Christie’s preview exhibition in Los Angeles. Monday’s Reveal. A-run, run, run, runaway #richardprince #nurse #runawaylove #markrothko #christies @christiesinc #sexygirl #californiagirls #trampslikeus #doctorsandnurses #brucespringsteen #bodiceripper #seasonshighlight #postwarandcontemporary @sfrieds @sonyaroth_la #losangeles #housecalls #strapless #dressup #madamex

A photo posted by Brett Gorvy (@brettgorvy) on Apr 11, 2016 at 5:33pm PDT

Brett Gorvy has been using his Instagram account to tease lots for some time now. Yesterday, he posted Richard Prince’s Runaway Nurse, a version of which was previously sold at Phillips in 2011 for $6.8m. The focus on the nurse paintings, which topped out at $8.5m in the Summer of 2008 and reached that price level again only in 2014, is indicative of where the top end of the market seems most interested these days.

We’ll have to wait a few more weeks to learn the estimate Christie’s has assigned to the work. The sale will need to move the bar up above $9m to be seen as a success but how far above?