Miro Sells for Record $37 Million as Choosy Buyers Test Market

A painting by Joan Miro sold for a record $37 million last night as billionaire buyers fought over the most desirable works and passed on lesser Impressionist and modern pieces.

Miro’s museum-quality 1927 abstract “Peinture (Etoile Bleue)” had been estimated to fetch a hammer price of as much as 20 million pounds ($31.4 million). It sold for 23.6 million pounds with fees, a record for the artist at auction. It was the most expensive of 48 offered lots at Sotheby’s in London.