According to reports, a brown leather armchair owned by French designer Yves Saint Laurent has sold at auction for €21.9 million. The sale broke the record for a work of 20^th century design at auction.

The small leather chair far exceeded the highest estimate of €3 million and was bought by the dealer, Cheska Vallois, who sold it to the designer almost 40 years ago. Fierce bidding is said to have taken off when a telephone bidder joined the auction; however, it was Ms Vallois’ bid that eventually won the “dragons” armchair at the Grand Palais auction house.

The chair was designed between 1917 and 1919 by Irish designer Eileen Gray.

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