Lucian Freud's The Brigadier has sold for $34.8m in Christie's contemporary art sale in New York.
It beat an estimate of $30m by 16% on November 10.
 Freud's painting depicts Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles, former husband of Camilla |
The work depicts Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles, former husband of Camilla Parker Bowles - now the Duchess of Cornwall.
Christie's explains: "This intensely personal portrait of a deeply private man demonstrates Freud's extraordinary ability to combine the timeless with the contemporary.
"One of the most celebrated modern painters of the human figure, The Brigadier demonstrates the artist's unrivalled ability to capture the essence of his subjects using only the primacy of paint�Ǫ
"[It] belongs to a series of large-scale portraits which Freud embarked upon during the last decade of his life, a body of work which includes some of his most celebrated paintings."
Other lots included Louise Bourgeois' Spider (1997), which set a new auction record for the artist when it achieved $28.2m.
The work is one of six and has been displayed at a number of museums around the globe, including the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, Russia.
Bourgeois' previous record was held by another of her spider sculptures, which made $10.7m at Christie's in 2011.
We have a fascinating selection of art and photography memorabilia for sale.
Please sign up to our free newsletter to receive exciting news about art and photography auctions.
