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'''Bal au moulin de la Galette, Montmartre''' is an 1876 painting by French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
Au Moulin de la Galette is a smaller version of Renoir’s Impressionist painting of the same name at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.

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Ownership history

See also

Ownership history

Owned by John Hay Whitney, on May 17, 1990, his widow sold the painting for US$78 million at Sotheby's in New York City, New York to Ryoei Saito, the honorary chairman of Daishowa Paper Manufacturing Company, Japan.
At the time of sale, it was one of the top two most expensive artworks ever sold, together with van Gogh's ''Portrait of Dr Gachet'', which was also purchased by Saito. Saito caused international outrage when he suggested in 1991 that he intended to cremate both paintings with him when he died. However, when Saito and his companies ran into severe financial difficulties, bankers who held the painting as collateral for loans arranged a confidential sale through Sotheby's to an undisclosed buyer. Although not known for certain, the painting is believed to be in the hands of a Swiss collector.
The ''Bal au moulin de la Galette'' is currently fifth on the list of most expensive paintings ever sold.

See also

★ Moulin de la Galette

★ ''Au Moulin de la Galette'', smaller version of the painting