Art prices in the Czech Republic rose in 2009 in spite of the economic crisis. Last year art collectors spent 660 million crowns at Czech auctions, while this year the total sum will amount to over 700 million. A painting by modernist Frantisek Kupka (1871—1957), "En degrades/Verticales," sold for 26 million crowns. Czech surrealists have also fared well at auctions worldwide. Emil Filla's (1882-1953) work soared to an auction record $266,000 at Bonhams & Butterfields in San Francisco.