Henry Moore sculpture sells for £26m at auction

A sculpture by world-renowned artist Henry Moore has sold for £26m at auction - £11m more than the sum it was expected to fetch.

King and Queen has been in a private British collection since it was bought from Moore's studio in 1953 and it went on sale at Christie's auction house on Thursday evening.

Moore was born in Castleford, West Yorkshire, and studied at Leeds School of Art alongside Wakefield sculptor Barbara Hepworth.

Philip Harley, senior director in Modern British and Irish Art at Christie's, previously said the bronze was "undisputedly a masterpiece" and that it was "an incredible moment" to be able to offer it at auction.

The artwork, which was expected to fetch between £10m and £15m, went for £26,345,000.

It was the first time it had been sold since its creation in the 1950s.

The bronze is one of four editions of the sculpture and the only remaining example still in private hands, with the others in Japan, the Netherlands and the USA.

Two subsequent casts were produced for the Tate Collection in 1957 and The Henry Moore Foundation in 1985.

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