Amedeo Modigliani's ‘Reclining Nude’ nets near-record $170m at auction

A painting by Amedeo Modigliani fetched $170.4m at an auction, setting a world record for the artist and achieving the second highest price ever garnered for a work of art at auction.

Reclining Nude was sold at Christie’s in Manhattan after a protracted bidding battle won by Chinese billionaire Liu Yiqian.

Considered one of his best known works, the 1917-1918 painting nearly created a scandal when it was first exhibited in Paris. It depicts an unknown nude model reclining on a crimson couch and blue cushion. The previous auction record for a Modigliani was $71m.

Pablo Picasso’s painting Women of Algiers (Version O) set the record for the highest sum ever paid for an artwork at auction. It sold for $179.4m at Christie’s in May.

A Roy Lichtenstein painting not seen on the market for 20 years also set a world record for the artist.

Nurse sold for $95.3m, almost doubling the previous auction record for the pop artist of $56m.

Christie’s expects to sell at least $1bn of art over a series of evening, day and online sales this week.

“There is clearly good appetite among collectors for exceptional works of art offered with appropriate estimates,” said Brook Hazelton, president of the Americas for Christie’s. “This is a very broad and globally diverse market.”