"Bids bounced back and forth between the telephones, the Internet and a gentleman standing in the rear of the auction hall as the lot cleared the $50,000 mark. [The auctioneer] jumped the bid increments to $5,000 advances with no sign of slowing down, and as the lot approached the $100,000 mark, she jumped to $10,000 advances. At $200,000, competition had narrowed to a single phone bidder competing with the gentleman standing in the rear of the gallery. The gentleman snapped his hand in the air at $300,000 and the phone bidder took a moment to hit the lot at $310,000.

The bidder in the gallery quickly hit the painting at $320,000; yet the phone bidder came right back at $330,000, causing the bidder in the room to briskly turn and walk out of the gallery and head for the door. Halfway across the lobby, he turned back and abruptly motioned that he was back in at $340,000, with what turned out to be the final uncontested bid. The painting realized $414,800, inclusive of premium."