A painting by renowned Austrian painter Gustav Klimth as fetched more than $50 million at the annual New York spring auctions, in what was the painting's first time on the auction block.
The early 20th century work "Insel im Attersee" ("Island in Lake Attersee") went to a collector in Japan for $53.2 million, the auction house Sotheby's announced on Wednesday.
The landscape painting depicts a shimmering, turquoise body of water in vibrant colours characteristic of Klimt, who was a quintessential member of the art nouveau movement.
It was sold after a seven-minute bidding war, said the auction house.
The painting "L'Empire des lumières" by the Belgian surrealist René Magritte (1898-1967) was also sold, at a steep price of $42.3million.
In total, the Sotheby's auction on Tuesday evening raked in around$427 million. — dpa
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