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polity united states cold warconcept:era modern

Woman III

Oil on canvas by Willem de Kooning, 1952–1953. Part of the Women series. A large-format gestural canvas depicting a frontal female figure, less confrontational than Woman I but equally charged with painterly energy. Sold in 2006 by entertainment mogul David Geffen to hedge fund manager Steven A. Cohen for approximately $137,500,000 — at the time one of the highest private sale prices ever recorded. Currently held in Steven Cohen's private collection.

Scholarly Significance

Represent the de Kooning private sale market record with Woman III — sold privately for approximately $137.5M in 2006 (Geffen to Cohen), one of the highest private sale prices in art history.

Notes

  • ·The Tehran custody period (c.1974–2004) makes Woman III one of the few canonical Western abstract expressionist works with a documented Iranian provenance.
  • ·The 2006 sale to Cohen is widely cited as one of the highest private sale prices in art history. The $137.5M figure is based on press reports from the New York Times and Wall Street Journal at the time; no formal auction documentation exists.
  • ·Cohen's collection, one of the largest in private hands, also includes works by Pollock, Warhol, and Picasso.
  • ·The dimensions listed are approximate and require verification against the catalogue raisonné of de Kooning's work.