On 2 November 2006, Jackson Pollock’s iconic drip painting No.5, 1948 was reportedly sold by the entertainment mogul David Geffen (USA) to an anonymous buyer for $140 million (£73.4 million), making it the world’s most expensive private art sale. Just days later, on 18 November, Geffen offloaded another of his prized art assets, selling Dutch painter Willem de Kooning’s Woman III in a second private deal that raised $137.5 million (£72.8 million) and only narrowly failed to set a new record.