It's not one of the iconic, bawdy images that the public might immediately think of when this artist's name is mentioned, but it's a tour de force. It's a haunting and powerful composition of a type that we won't see again on the market.

He was at the height of his maturity. ... It's not just a depiction of him as an artist, it's more of a psychological portrayal of him -- his difficult and somewhat turbulent character, ... It's a very piercing, powerful image that clients are very much responding to.

People were falling over themselves to bid on this (Diebenkorn) work. There was some frantic bidding in the sale room and on the telephone.

We understand how upset the public is when they see these kinds of images. We try to deal with all these things with the best available information. Whether there are too many boats and that is the cause of the collisions we're seeing, it's hard to definitely say.

I think if you've made it, why not name it?

It certainly was not decisive in the loss of credibility for this government. But it was one instance, when taken with a host of other instances, which has led to a great deal of distrust in this government.