The Painting That Set Picasso's Auction Record
3 min read · 23 Oct 2025
Les Femmes D'alger (version 'o'). Image courtesy of Christie's
Pablo Picasso's Les Femmes D'alger (version 'O') (1955) sold for $179.4m at Christie's in New York on May 11, 2015. The oil on canvas work had been traded twice in the past.
Picasso painted a series of 15 works inspired by Delacroix's 1834 painting Women of Algiers in their Apartment. They were snapped up by the influential US collectors Victor and Sally Ganz, who kept five, including Les Femmes D'alger (version 'O') and sold ten to dealers.
The Ganzes bought their first Picasso in 1941. It was Le Rêve, the artist's 1932 painting of his then mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter.
They went on to build the most significant private collection of the artist's work in the US, along with pieces by young artists including Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns and Warhol.
They lent Picasso's homage to Delacroix to numerous exhibitions, including ones at the Met, Louvre and Tate and two at MoMA.
When their collection, including Picassos, was sold by their children at Christie's in 1997, the auction totaled a then epic amount of $206.5m.
In 2015, Les Femmes D'alger (version 'O') was reportedly bought by Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani (HBJ), the former Prime Minister of Qatar and a member of the kingdom's royal family.
Nude, Green leaves and Bust (also known as Nude with Sculptor’s Turntable; Nu au plateau de sculpteur). Image courtesy of Christie's
The sale beat the Picasso's previous auction record by $72.88m, a 68% rise. His previous record was set by Nude, Green leaves and Bust (also known as Nude with Sculptor’s Turntable; Nu au plateau de sculpteur) (1932), which sold for $106.5m at Christie's on May 4, 2010.
A Brief History of Picasso at Auction
Sale Date | Title | Price | Record Increase | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015-05-11 | Les Femmes D'alger (version 'o') | $179.4m | 68 % | Christie's | New York |
2010-05-04 | Nude, Green leaves and Bust (also known as Nude with Sculptor’s Turntable; Nu au plateau de sculpteur) | $106.5m | 2 % | Christie's | New York |
2004-05-05 | Garcon a la pipe (Boy With a Pipe) | $104.2m | 101 % | Sotheby's | New York |
1989-11-30 | Les Noces de Pierrette | $51.94m | 19 % | Binoche & Godeau | Paris |
1989-05-09 | Self-portrait, Yo Picasso | $43.5m | 13 % | Sotheby's | New York |
1988-11-28 | Acrobate et jeune Arlequin | $38.39m | 55 % | Christie's | London |
1988-11-14 | Maternite | $24.75m | 77 % | Christie's | New York |
1988-11-10 | La cage d'oiseaux | $14m | 84 % | Sotheby's | New York |
1987-12-01 | Souvenir du Havre | $7.6m | 43 % | Sotheby's | London |
1981-05-21 | Self-portrait, Yo Picasso | $5.3m | 77 % | Sotheby's | New York |
1980-05-12 | Saltimbanque seated with arms crossed | $3m | 196 % | Sotheby's | New York |
1979-07-03 | La bouteille de vin | $1.01m | 27 % | Sotheby's | London |
1973-12-05 | Femme Assise | $794,700 | 8 % | Sotheby's | London |
1900-01-01 | A los toros" mit Picasso | $733,900 | - | Ketterer Kunst | Hamburg |
Get the HENI News Daily Art Digest delivered to your inbox