The Queen of Spades by Toyen has become the most expensive painting auctioned in the Czech Republic

Prague – The painting by the artist Toyen titled The Queen of Spades was sold yesterday at an auction in Prague for 78,650,000 crowns, including the auction premium. It thus became the most expensive painting sold at auction in the Czech Republic. The starting price of the work was 29.9 million CZK. The result of the auction was reported to ČTK by Aneta Kopecká from the organizing auction house Adolf Loos Apartment and Gallery. Previously, the most expensive work auctioned in the Czech Republic was a painting by Oskar Kokoschka titled Prague – View from the Křižovnický Monastery, which was sold last year for 78.5 million CZK.

The record painting by Toyen, originally titled La Dame de pique, comes from a period that is highly valued among the artist's collectors. She painted it shortly after her arrival in Paris in 1926. "An oil painting by Toyen of comparable gallery quality and significance has never been auctioned on the Czech and world auction market until now," said the auction house.

Toyen's previous record in domestic auctions was the painting Dusk in the Jungle. In 2017, a buyer paid 36 million crowns for it, including the premium.