Francis Bacon triptych sells for $142.4 million

NEW YORK, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- "Three Studies of Lucian Freud," a 1969 triptych by Francis Bacon, was sold to an anonymous buyer at an auction in New York for $142.4 million Tuesday.

The New York Times reported the sale is considered the highest price ever paid for an artwork at auction.

Seven potential buyers battled it out for the painting at the Christie's sale and the winning bid of a $127 million was taken by telephone, the newspaper said. When added, the buyer's premium brought the price tag to more than $142 million.

Edvard Munch's "The Scream" was the previous record holder for the highest price at auction. It went for nearly $120 million at Sotheby's in the spring of 2012, the Times noted.