Andy Warhol 'Car Crash' sells for record US$105m at auction

A prized 1963 Andy Warhol painting that captures the immediate aftermath of a car crash sold for US$105 million at a New York City auction, shattering the record for the famed pop artist amid a spending frenzy at the high end of the art world.

The 2.5-metre by 4-metre painting titled Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster) depicts a twisted body sprawled across a car's mangled interior. It has only been seen once in public in the 26 years before Wednesday's sale. The buyer was not immediately identified.

The previous Warhol auction record was set in 2007 when Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car I) sold for US$71.7 million.

Another iconic Warhol, Coca-Cola (3), sold for US$57.2 million on Tuesday at Christie's auction house, and his portrait of Elizabeth Taylor titled Liz #1 (Early Colored Liz) sold for US$20 million on Wednesday.

A Willem de Kooning abstract painting in red, yellow and white called Untitled V, not seen in public since 1980, sold for US$24.8 million on Wednesday.

None of Wednesday's buyers were identified.