Four Paintings Sell For Nearly $32 Million

A portrait by Vincent Van Gogh sold for $13.2 million at auction Thursday, and a Picasso owned by the U.S. ambassador to France went for $12 million.

The Van Gogh, “Jeune homme a la casquette,” came from a private collection in Europe.

Three paintings were sold by Ambassador Pamela Harriman for a total of almost $19 million. In addition to Picasso’s “Mere et enfant,” she sold Renoir’s “Portrait de Mademoiselle Demarsy” for $5.6 million and Matisse’s “Le chapeau blue” for $1.1 million.

Harriman is believed to need money to settle lawsuits brought by her husband’s heirs.