Nude Painting of Bea Arthur Sells for $1.9 Million at Christie's [NSFW]

A topless portrait of Bea Arthur—for which the late actress never actually sat—sold for $1,915,750 at a Christie’s auction last night, purchased by an anonymous bidder over the phone. NSFW boobs after the jump.

“Bea Arthur Naked” was painted by acclaimed Brooklyn-based artist and noted tit man John Currin in 1991, creating controversy at the time, with some critics lambasting the work as misogynist, while others considered it “a feminist statement about confidence and age.” It was sold at Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary art sale, which featured other artists like Jackson Pollock and Yayoi Kusama.

“It’s historically significant,” Christie’s spokesman Koji Inoue told the New York Post. “It’s radical to sexualize someone people think of as asexual.” Asexual!? But Maude is famous for getting an abortion! And Dorothy Zbornak bought condoms so she wouldn’t get AIDS!

So…does anyone wanna take bets on which super-wealthy gay guy bought this?

Bea Arthur topless painting sells for nearly $2M [NY POST]