Madonna Sells Painting for $7 Million to Fund Girls’ Education Projects
Madonna sold an abstract painting for $7 million yesterday to help fund girls’ education projects worldwide. The singer sold Fernand Léger’s 1921 work “Trois Femmes à la Table Rouge” to an unidentified buyer at Sotheby’s Impressionist and Modern Art sale in New York, according to the auction house’s website.
Madonna Accused of Violating Russian Visa Laws
Madonna, who had purchased the painting in 1990, sought to raise money for the Ray of Light Foundation, a non-profit organization that that offers vocational training for children and farmers in poverty. “I cannot accept a world where women or girls are wounded, shot or killed for either going to school or teaching in girls’ schools,” the singer said in a statement last month, as reported by Reuters. “We don’t have time to be complacent. . . . I want to trade something valuable for something invaluable – educating girls!”
Last month, the singer was accused by a Russian legislator of violating tax and migration laws after allegedly performing a commercial concert in St. Petersburg with the wrong visa, as well as failing to properly pay taxes on money she made. She also received criticism from the Malawi government, who said Madonna tried to leverage her fame and money to demand VIP treatment while in the country last month.