A nude painting just sold in New York for a record-breaking $157 million - here are the 15 most expensive paintings ever sold

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A nude painting just sold in New York for a record-breaking $157 million - here are the 15 most expensive paintings ever sold

Nu couché (sur le côté gauche), Kevin Ching, CEO of Sotheby's Asia. speaks next to a painting

Vincent Yu/AP

The painting measures nearly five feet across.

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  • Sotheby's New York broke its own sales record this week when it sold a painting for $157.2 million at auction.
  • The painting is by Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani, titled "Nu couché (sur le côté gauche)."
  • The sale breaks the top 15 most expensive paintings ever sold via auction or private sale.

This week, Sotheby's New York broke its own sales record selling Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani's "Nu couché (sur le côté gauche)" for $157.2 million.

The work of art is Modigliani's largest piece - measuring 58 inches across, it was a part of his 1917 exhibition that redefined the fine art nude.

During Monday's Sotheby's auction other historic works were also up for purchase including Picasso's "Le Repos," which sold for $36.9 million, as well as Claude Monet's "Matinée sur la Seine."

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Modigliani's "Nu couché (sur le côté gauche)" breaks the top 15 most expensive paintings ever sold during auctions and private sales, hedging out Gustav Klimt's "Adele Bloch-Bauer II," which sold for $150 million in 2016 during a private sale via Larry Gagosian.

Below, take a look at the most 15 most expensive paintings that have sold during auctions or via private sales.

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15. Amedeo Modigliani's "Nu couché (sur le côté gauche)" — $157.2 million

15. Amedeo Modigliani's "Nu couché (sur le côté gauche)" — $157.2 million

Date sold: May 14, 2018

Price: $157.2 million

Type of sale: Sotheby's auction

14. Gustav Klimt's "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I" — $135 million

14. Gustav Klimt's "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I" — $135 million

Date sold: June 18, 2006

Price: $135 million

Type of sale: Private sale via Christie's

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13. Pablo Picasso's "Le Rêve" — $155 million

13. Pablo Picasso's "Le Rêve" — $155 million

Date sold: March 26, 2013

Price: $155 million

Type of sale: Private sale

12. Willem de Kooning's "Woman III" — $137.5 million

12. Willem de Kooning's "Woman III" — $137.5 million

Date sold: November 18, 2006

Price: $137.5 million

Type of sale: Private sale via Larry Gagosian

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11. Jackson Pollock's "No. 5, 1948" — $140 million

11. Jackson Pollock's "No. 5, 1948" — $140 million

Date sold: November 2, 2006

Price: $140 million

Type of sale: Private sale via Sotheby's

10. Roy Lichtenstein's "Masterpiece" — $165 million

10. Roy Lichtenstein's "Masterpiece" — $165 million

Date sold: January 2017

Price: $165 million

Type of sale: Private

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9. Amedeo Modigliani's "Nu Couché" — $170.4 million

9. Amedeo Modigliani's "Nu Couché" — $170.4 million

Date sold: November 9, 2015

Price: $170.4 million

Type of sale: Christie's, New York, auction

8. Picasso's "Les Femmes d'Alger ("Version O")" — $179.4 million

8. Picasso's "Les Femmes d'Alger ("Version O")" — $179.4 million

Date sold: May 11, 2015

Price: $179.4 million

Type of sale: Christie's, New York auction

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7. Rembrandt's "Pendant portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit" — $180 million

7. Rembrandt's "Pendant portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit" — $180 million

Date sold: September 2015

Price: $180 million

Type of sale: Private

6. Mark Rothko's "No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red)" — $186 million

6. Mark Rothko's "No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red)" — $186 million

Date sold: August 2014

Price: $186 million

Type of sale: Private sale via Yves Bouvier

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5. Pollock's "Number 17A" — ~$200 million

5. Pollock's "Number 17A" — ~$200 million

Date sold: September 2015

Price: ~$200 million

Type of sale: Private

4. Paul Gauguin's "Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?)" — $210 million

4. Paul Gauguin's "Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?)" — $210 million

Date sold: September 2014

Price: $210 million

Type of sale: Private

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3. Paul Cézanne's "The Card Players" — $250 million

3. Paul Cézanne's "The Card Players" — $250 million

Date sold: April 2011

Price: $250 million

Type of sale: Private

2. Willem de Kooning's "Interchange" — ~$300 million

2. Willem de Kooning's "Interchange" — ~$300 million

Date sold: September 2015

Price: ~$300 million

Type of sale: Private

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1. Painting attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, "Salvator Mundi" — $450.3 million

1. Painting attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, "Salvator Mundi" — $450.3 million

Date sold: November 15, 2017

Price: $450.3 million

Type of sale: Christie's, New York, auction