Freud work sells for $5.03 million at auction

[October 14, 2011]  LONDON (AP) -- A small painting by the late Lucian Freud has sold for 3.2 million pounds ($5.03 million) at auction in London.

Sotheby's says "Boy's Head," a work from 1952 depicting Freud's neighbor and recognizable subject Charlie Lumley, was sold below pre-sale estimates suggesting it could go for up to 4 million pounds ($6.3 million).

Sotheby's said Friday "Boy's Head" was sold to an anonymous bidder Thursday night at the auction house.

Freud, who died in July, was considered one of the world's greatest painters.

His paintings command staggering prices at auction, including one of an overweight nude woman sleeping on a couch that sold in 2008 for $33.6 million -- a record for a living artist at the time.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.