Modigliani art sells for £3.25m

Modigliani died soon after painting the portrait in 1920

A rarely-seen portrait by Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani of his lover Jeanne Hebuterne has been sold for £3.25m in London.

Portrait de Jeanne Hebuterne had been expected to fetch £2m during the Christie's auction.

Modigliani painted it shortly before he died of tuberculosis in 1920, after which the pregnant Hebuterne threw herself from a window and died.

The identity of the buyer was not revealed by the auction house.

A Christie's spokesman said the painting "had never been offered on the open market, and exhibited only rarely in the 85 years since it was painted".

It was among dozens of paintings, drawings and other works by artists including Picasso, Degas, Gauguin and Matisse sold at the two-day Sotheby's and Christie's auction.