According to the outlet, the painting was originally gifted to the actress by her estranged husband, who bought it back in 2011 for $2.95 million. (If you don’t want to do the math, that’s $8.55 million less than what Angie just sold it for.)
The 1943 painting, “Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque,” had a measly estimated price of $3.4 million, but mystery Belgian bidder ended up paying over three times that during the Christie’s auction on Monday, March 1.
Page Six reports that the Churchill painting was sold during the “Modern British Art Evening Sale” in London. The bidder, who purchased two other Churchill paintings during the sale, was willing to pay a great deal more than estimated for the piece.
It was sold through the Jolie Family Collection.
Bill Rau of M.S. Rau, the New Orleans antique dealer that sold the piece to Pitt, explained the latest sale to Page Six.
“When we sold the ‘Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque’ by Winston Churchill, it was valued at just under $3 million, a fair price for such a historic work. The fact that it sold at auction for [$11.5 million] just goes to show you that important pieces will continue to be coveted and fetch top dollar. The painting has had an unprecedented journey, from being gifted to a US President [Churchill gave it to Franklin D. Roosevelt], to being hidden away in a closet for nearly half a century, to being owned by the most famous couple in Hollywood,” he explained before adding, “I’m thrilled that M.S. Rau was able to bring this amazing piece back into the spotlight.”