London — It is common to get rid of your ex’s things after a break-up. As for celebrity Angelina Jolie, she sold a gift reportedly given to her by Brad Pitt for a whopping US$11.5 million (S$15.3 million). The Art Newspaper reported that Jolie sold a rare painting by Winston Churchill titled Tower of Koutobia Mosque at a London art auction on Monday for £8.3 million (S$15.3 million). A press release by Christie’s said the painting — of a sunset over Marrakech — was given by the then British Prime Minister Churchill to the then US President Franklin D Roosevelt in 1943 as a birthday gift.
InStyle reported via Page Six that the painting was a gift to Jolie from Pitt, who purchased it for US$2.95 million (S$3.92 million) in 2011 from a New Orleans antique dealer, MS Rau. The former couple amassed an impressive art collection over the years. The BBC reported that the latest sale price was almost four times the top pre-sale estimate and beat the previous record for a Churchill painting, which was just under £1.8m (S$3.34 million)
Jolie and Pitt got married in 2014 and broke up in 2016. In 2019, they became legally single as they continue to finalise their divorce.
“I separated for the well-being of my family,” Jolie told Vogue India about the divorce, adding: “It was the right decision.”
“I continue to focus on their healing. Some have taken advantage of my silence, and the children see lies about themselves in the media, but I remind them that they know their own truth and their own minds,” Jolie continued. “In fact, they are six very brave, very strong young people.”
The Tomb Raider actress said last month that she lives in a house close to Pitt so that their children can be near their father.
“I wanted it to be close to their dad, who is only five minutes away,” she said at the time.
Born on June 4, 1975, Angelina Jolie is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and three Golden Globe Awards, she has been named Hollywood’s highest-paid actress multiple times./TISG