Versace auction rakes in more than $10 million

The three-day auction of furniture, art, and clothing design sketches belonging to slain fashion designer Gianni Versace netted over $10 million, reports Reuters. The most expensive of the 600 lots was a painting by Antoine Dubost called Le Retour dHelene, which fetched $236,750, substantially more than the $150,000 presale high estimate. A suite of armchairs and ottomans upholstered in fabric designed by Versace went for nine times the high estimate, or $75,000. Proceeds from the auction will benefit PAX, a New Yorkbased group that promotes gun safety; the Arlington, Va.based National Center for Victims of Crimes; and an endowed scholarship at New Yorks Fashion Institute of Technology.