Bea Arthur in the Buff

Christie's auction house in New York City reported that a May 15 sale of a painting of late actress Bea Arthur — nude from the waist up — by artist John Currin in 1991 had sold for $1.9 million. Currin said he made the painting from a photograph of Arthur clothed, and Arthur, known for her roles in TV's "Maude" and "Golden Girls," appears younger in face and body in the painting than on the TV shows.