Kadinsky recovered painting auctioned at nearly $45m

At Sotheby’s in London, a painting by Russian Modernist Wassily Kandinsky that previously belonged to Holocaust survivors sold for £37.2 million ($44.55 million).

Murnau with Kirche II (Murnau with Church II; 1910), which was offered as part of the auction house’s Modern & Contemporary Evening Auction on Wednesday, fetched the highest price and set a new auction record for the artist.

According to the auction house, the sale of Kandinsky’s “Bild mit weissen Linien” for £33 million ($39.7 million) in 2017 broke the previous world record for a piece of his art.

Helena Newman, Chairman of Sotheby’s Europe and Worldwide Head of Impressionist & Modern Art, said in a statement that “Kandinsky’s Murnau period came to define abstract art for future generations.

“The appearance of such an important painting—one of the last of this period and scale remaining in private hands - is a major moment for the market and for collectors.”