Yes, that is a nude portrait of the late actress Bea Arthur…click here to see the unedited portrait….
“Bea Arthur Naked.” Currin’s 1991 work sparked quite the controversy in its day, as many were torn between Currin’s technical talent and his “acrid fantasy portraits of menopausal women,” as Peter Schjeldahl wrote in the New Yorker.
Fast forward 22 years and Bea in the buff is more valuable than ever. The topless portrayal is expected to sell for between $1.8-2.5 million at Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art sale in New York this Wednesday.
