A sculpture by Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti has broken the record for the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction, going under the hammer for $73 million.
L'homme qui marche I - a life-size bronze of a man, walking, was sold to an anonymous telephone bidder in the sale at Sotheby's in London.
Auctioneers had expected it would make ₤18 million ($AU32.39 million), but a fierce bidding war between at least 10 would-be buyers drove the price up to more than three times the estimate.
The statue eventually went for just over ₤65 million ($AU116.9 million), including the buyer's premium, making it the priciest artwork ever sold at auction.
It beat the previous record, set by a Picasso painting, Garcon a la Pipe, which was bought for $104.2 million in 2004, the auction house said.
"We are thrilled to have sold these great works this evening and that they have been recognised for the masterpieces that they are," said Melanie Clore, Sotheby's co-chairman of Impressionist and Modern Art.
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