German post-war artists set records at London Sotheby's auction

LONDON, March 9 (Reuters) — Post-World War Two German artists stole the show at a Sotheby's contemporary art auction on Wednesday, with records being set for works by Georg Baselitz and Wolfgang Tillman.

The most expensive painting of the night was "Eisberg" (Iceberg) by Gerhard Richter, which sold for $21.6 million in a first for landscape scenes by the German artist.

Richter painted the work based on a photograph he took in 1972 during an Arctic expedition to Greenland, Sotheby's said.

"Eisberg" (Iceberg) by Gerhard Richter. Photo from the artist's official website.

Baselitz's "Mit Roter Fahne" (With Red Flag) fetched $9.12 million, a record for the famed German artist.

Sotheby's said the 1965 oil painting, part of a collection titled "Heroes", helped him become "one of the most provocative and compelling voices of the post-war era".

Tillman's "Freischwimmer 119" sold for $565,000, making it the third time a record had been broken for the fine-art photographer, who currently has an exhibition on at London's Tate Modern.

"We've had fantastic sales so far in 2017," said George O'Dell, Sotheby's contemporary art specialist. The sales were the third-highest Sotheby's has seen for a London contemporary art sale. — Reuters

Reporting and writing by Emily Roe and Gerry Mey; Editing by Paul Tait