The 1969 painting went to a telephone bidder Wednesday night for $17.4 million, a new high for a Picasso made after 1960. Sotheby’s in New York also sold a second Picasso painting and two Giacometti sculptures from the Raymond and Patsy Nasher Collection as part of a high-profile sale of Impressionist and modern art. Another 132 pieces from the Dallas-based collection go on the block Friday. The Nasher estate is selling the works to build the endowment of the Nasher Sculpture Center. Here’s a link to a deeper discussion of today’s fine-art market.