A detail of "Dora Maar With Cat," a 1941 portrait by Picasso, was sold on May, 5,2006 for $95.2 million, the second highest price for a painting at auction.

The image of Maar, one of Picasso''''s mistresses, was sold on the second night of the important spring auctions. "Boy With a Pipe" (1905) holds the record price for a Picasso. That painting sold for $104.2 million in May 2004.

At Christie''''s on Tuesday night, an all-star cast led by a van Gogh and two important Picasso paintings played to a standing-room-only crowd. Strong performances throughout the evening left little doubt that the Impressionist and modern art market is still growing.

But there were often only two serious contenders for some of the priciest works. So it was when the auction''''s undisputed star �� "L''''Arl��sienne, Madame Ginoux," an 1890 van Gogh portrait of the proprietress of the Caf�� de la Gare in Arles, France, which van Gogh frequented until his suicide that year �� came up for offer. One of the more recognizable figures in art history, Madame Ginoux was painted extensively by van Gogh and Gauguin; van Gogh''''s other three portraits of her are in museums. Christie''''s had printed a separate catalog for this version and sent the painting around the world, yet only two bidders went for it. After an estimate of $40 million to $50 million, a telephone bidder paid $40.3 million.