Congo the Chimpanzee's Paintings Sold For $25,000

A London auction house sold last night Congo the chimpanzee's paintings for more then $25,000. The three paintings, which were made in 1957, had been estimated to fetch between $1200 - $1600, but the bidders increased the price to $26.000.

Congo the chimpanzee's, born in 1954, made more then 400 drawings and paintings and died in 1964 of tuberculosis.

American businessman Howard Hong bought Congo's paintings for $26,352.

"We had no idea what these things were worth," said Howard Rutkowski, director of modern and contemporary art at Bonhams. "We just put them in for our own amusement."

"I don't think anybody else has been crazy enough to do this. I'm sure other auction houses think this is completely mad."