The first of four paintings to go on the block in a controversial sale by Randolph College fetched more than $7.2-million in an auction tonight, the Associated Press reported. The painting, Rufino Tamayo’s “Trovador,” was bought by an anonymous telephone bidder at Christie’s Latin American art auction, in New York.

“Trovador,” by Rufino Tamayo

The sale price was more than double what officials of the Lynchburg, Va., college had expected it to bring. They hope to raise $50-million from the sale of all four paintings.

The former Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, which began admitting men last fall, has not yet made any plans regarding the sale of the remaining paintings, a spokeswoman told The News & Advance, a local newspaper.

A group of alumni and others dropped a lawsuit opposing the sale in March, focusing instead on a legal challenge to whether the college can use any of its assets in a coeducational setting. —Charles Huckabee