Drug Traffickers’ Dali Auctioned

Compiled From Wire Services

A 1972 work by the flamboyant Spanish painter Salvador Dali, seized from Colombian drug traffickers by U.S. officials, fetched $111,000 during a public auction Thursday night at the Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach.

State Sen. W.D. Childers of Pensacola offered the winning bid on behalf of his friend, Pensacola trial attorney Frederic Levin, an avid art collector, said Terri Lynn, spokeswoman for the Bass Museum of Art.

“Self-Portrait” is the first masterwork that the U.S. Customs Service has auctioned, Customs spokesman Mike Sheehan said. About 50 to 60 people attended the auction.

Customs agents seized the painting at Miami International Airport on Dec. 7, 1993, because it had been bought with drug money.

Thank you for visiting Spokesman.com. To continue reading this story and enjoying our local journalism please subscribe or log in.

You have reached your article limit for this month.

Subscribe now and enjoy unlimited digital access to Spokesman.com

Unlimited Digital Access

Stay connected to Spokane for as little as 99¢!

Subscribe for access

Already a Spokesman-Review subscriber? Activate or Log in

You have reached your article limit for this month.

Subscribe now and enjoy unlimited digital access to Spokesman.com

Unlimited Digital Access

Stay connected to Spokane for as little as 99¢!

Subscribe for access

Already a Spokesman-Review subscriber? Activate or Log in

Oops, it appears there has been a technical problem. To access this content as intended, please try reloading the page or returning at a later time. Already a Spokesman-Review subscriber? Activate or Log in