London artist Yue Minjun 's `` Execution '' sold for record $ 5.9M ( 2.9 million pounds ) In the painting , Simon saw metaphor for himself and his life in the bank world . Yue Minjun 's spent two-thirds of his the 1990s salary on the painting in the 1990s . Under deal , Simon kept painting out of sight , shipped it out of HK to London .
Beijing artist Yue Minjun 's `` Execution '' sold for record 2.9 million pounds ( $ 5.9M ) In the painting , Simon saw metaphor for himself and his life in the bank world . Simon spent two-thirds of his annual salary on the painting in the 1990s . Under deal , Simon kept painting out of sight , shipped it out of HK to London .