AceShowbiz -

Jimmy Kimmel is apparently the one who bought Bea Arthur topless painting at Christie's auction. Kimmel's friend Jeff Ross, who received the painting as a gift, cannot contain his excitement when he holds the frame in his hands and thanks the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" host for his generosity.

"Biggest surprise of my life. Thank you @jimmykimmel - the most generous guy in the world! #BeaArthur," Ross wrote on his Twitter account on Friday, May 24. Kimmel wrote back, "Bea is watching over all of us, but especially you," to which Ross replied, "Amen brother."

The John Currin painting was sold nearly $2 million to an anonymous caller at Christie's auction on May 15. The identity of the caller was not revealed at the time. Kimmel's representative is not immediately available for confirmation.

Arthur, who once shared a stage with Kimmel in 2005, never actually sat in the position in front of Currin. "I had a vision in my head of Bea Arthur, and I found a picture of her. I was going to put a scarf ensemble on her like that from her Maude days, and I drew the body just to drape it. It was then that I realized that the painting was fantastic as it was," the artist explained.

Arthur received Emmy Awards for her roles on 1970s' and 1980s' TV shows, "Maude" and "Golden Girls". She passed away in 2009 at the age of 86 because of cancer.