A controversial painting that almost led to the eviction of the Brooklyn Museum 15 years ago has been sold at auction in London.
Officials at Christie's auction house say "The Holy Virgin Mary" by Chris Ofili sold this week for $4.5 million.
The painting, which is partially made from elephant dung, got then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani very upset when it was put on display during the Brooklyn Museum's "Sensation" exhibit in 1999.
At the time, Giuliani called it "sick" and "anti-Catholic."
He also tried to pull $7 million in city funding for the museum and threatened the museum with eviction.
The museum filed and eventually won a First Amendment lawsuit against the city.