A painting by Rene Magritte sold for $26.8 million Monday at a Sotheby's auction in New York, setting a record for a work by the Belgian surrealist.
The painting entitled "Le principe du plaisir" topped the price fetched by "La corde sensible", which was sold in February 2017 in London for $17.9 million.
Sotheby's had estimated the painting sold Monday as being worth 15 to 20 million dollars. It said seven collectors -- an unusually high number -- bid for it.
Other paintings on offer on the second night of the autumn art auctions in New York also surpassed their estimated value.
"Improvisation on Mahogany" by Russian-born Wassily Kandinsky, fetched $24.2 million, compared to its pre-sale estimate of 15-20 million dollars.
A painting that was supposed to be one of the main attractions of the auction failed to lure a buyer.
It was Marsden Hartley's "Pre-War Pageant", considered to be one of the first totally abstract works in the history of American art.
It was estimated at $30 million, nearly five times the record for that US painter.
On Sunday, the Vincent Van Gogh Painting "Coin de jardin avec papillons", estimated at $40 million, went begging at a Christie's auction of Impressionist and Modern art.
The fall art auctions continue through Thursday evening.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
1 Dead As Plane Used For Skydiving Crashes In New York New York City Council Member Allegedly Bites Cop During Protest, Arrested For Assault Half-Naked Image Of Trump and Biden On New York Magazine Cover Sparks Controversy INS Brahmaputra Severely Damaged In Fire, Lying On Its Side; Sailor Missing Question On Atoms In NEET-UG Physics Section Catches Supreme Court's Eye Elon Musk Reacts After Vivek Ramaswamy's Biden Prediction Goes Viral Top Six Car Launches In August 2024: Mahindra Thar Roxx To Tata Curvv Kamala Harris' Campaign Debuts New Official Election Logo 1 Killed, 34 Injured After DTC Bus Rams Metro Pillar In West Delhi Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.