A Bea Arthur nude portrait painting by John Currin from 1991, fetched an incredible $1.9 million at Christie's Auction House last night as the controversial Bea Arthur painting sold right in line with estimates.  

The 1991 painting was tendentious in its day because of Currin's technical skill combined with what many thought were lurid exposures of post-menopausal women, like the late Bea Arthur. But Bea Arthur's beauty in the picture is left primarily up to the beholder, as were the character's Bea Arthur embued before her death in April of 2009.

In a statement to the New York Post, Christie's representative, Koji Inoue, said "It's historically significant," and  "It's radical to sexualize someone people think of as asexual." We're not sure Bea Arthur is "asexual,' and we don't know if the person who purchased the work feels that way, either.

Bea Arthur is most famously recalled as the character, Dorothy, on the acclaimed sitcom "Golden Girls," or as the eponymous "Maude."

Bea Arthur never sat for the piece by John Currin, a Brooklyn artist reknowned for his evocatic renderings of celebrities and non-celebrities alike. He generally focuses on women in what some would label prurient poses, but despite Bea Arthur's advanced age even as far back as 1991, one lucky bidder will have the honor of seeing Bea Arthur in her topless glory all the time.

At the time of "Bea Arthur Nude" introduction in 1991, many critics, including the The New Yorker's Peter Schjeldahl, bemoaned the Bea Arthur topless facsimile by calling it misogynistic and sexist.

After "Bea Arthur Nude" came out, some writers even called for Currin's work to be boycotted in the hope he would elevate his subject matter to something they considered more tasteful, even as others believe "Bea Arthur Nude" is sexy and brash. 

Since the uproar over the painting in the early 90s, Currin has gone on to have his work shown in prestigious gallery's like the Whitney. Currin never backed down from what many consider his most famous piece, and now it's been sold for close to $2 million.

Christie's spokesman Koji Inoue finished by saying "The painting has a visual toughness to it - but it's also fun."

The $1.8 million fetched for "Bea Arthur Nude" was right in line with pre-auction estimates, which placed the Currin work at between $1.5 and $2.5 million. 

The Christie's auction fetched over $450 million featuring post-war artistic renderings by Jackson Pollack and Roy Lichtenstein as well as Currin's "Bea Arthur Nude"  during the event last night at 20 Rockefeller Centre in Midtown Manhattan.