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Works By Rothko, Lichtenstein Bring In Over $88 Million At Sotheby's Auction

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Major works by Mark Rothko and Roy Lichtenstein brought in over $88 million at a Sotheby's auction of contemporary art on the Upper East Side.

Rothko's ``Untitled (Yellow and Blue)'' fetched $46.4 million Tuesday night. The 8-foot-tall abstract painting of large yellow and blue planes, created in 1954, once hung at the National Gallery in Washington for 10 years.

Lichtenstein's ``The Ring (Engagement)'' garnered $41.7 million. The 1962 work was sold by philanthropist Stefan Edlis. Last month, the Art Institute of Chicago announced Edlis was donating a group of 42 pop and contemporary artworks valued at about $40 million.

The current Rothko auction record is nearly $87 million. Lichtenstein's is $56 million.

The Sotheby's auction came a day after Pablo Picasso's "Women of Algiers (Version O)'' set a world record for artwork at auction at Christie's at Rockefeller Plaza, selling for nearly $179.4 million.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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