Leger painting auctioned for more than $39 million in NYC

NEW YORK — Sotheby's auction house says a cubist oil painting by Fernand Leger has been sold in New York for more than $39 million.

The auction house says the 1912-1913 painting, "Study for a Woman in Blue," sold Wednesday for $39.2 million.

(enlarge photo) In this photo released by Sotheby's Auction House in New York, Wednesday, May 7, 2008, a cubist oil painting by 20th century French artist Fernand Leger is shown. The auction house says the 1912-1913 painting, 'Study for a Woman in Blue,' sold Wednesday for $39.2 million. The abstract geometric painting shows a woman in a blue dress seated at a table with her hands in her lap. (AP Photo/Sotheby's)

That's a record for the 20th-century French artist. The painting's pre-auction estimate was $35 million to $45 million.

The abstract geometric painting shows a woman in a blue dress seated at a table with her hands in her lap.

Sotheby's says Edvard Munch's 1902 "Girls on a Bridge" also was auctioned for $30.8 million. Its pre-sale estimate was $24 million to $28 million. That was also an artist record.

The buyers wanted to remain anonymous.

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