Canaletto work owned by first UK PM sells for record

A painting of Venice by Canaletto, once owned by the UK’s first prime minister, has been sold for a record £27.5m (£31.9m with fees) at Christie’s in London.

Painted around 1732, “Venice, the Return of the Bucintoro on Ascension Day” is described as the greatest work by the artist to hit the market in a generation and was displayed at Number 10 Downing Street during Sir Robert Walpole’s tenure.

Explain It To Me Like I’m 5:

A beautiful painting of Venice, made by a famous artist named Canaletto, was sold for a lot of money—£27.5 million—making it the most expensive painting by him ever sold at auction!

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