NEW YORK, NY (AP).- A 19th century painting of St. Petersburg that Mikhail Baryshnikov purchased decades ago, and depicting the Russian city he loved, was auctioned Tuesday for $746,500 to benefit the famous dancer’s New York City performing arts center. The proceeds from the Sotheby’s sale will go toward new programming at the Baryshnikov Arts Center. A German private collector placed the winning bid by telephone for “View of St. Petersburg” by Petr Petrovich Vereshchagin. The pre-sale estimate for the cityscape was $300,000 to $500,000. Baryshnikov recently donated the painting to the center’s foundation so it could sell it to raise money to develop new programming from theater directors, musicians and choreographers. Baryshnikov serves as artistic director of the center that he founded in 2005 as a “creative laboratory” and performance space for multidisciplinary artists