Monet painting fetches $A159m

A CLAUDE Monet painting from his celebrated Meules (Haystacks) series fetched $US110.7 million ($A159m) in New York on Tuesday in an auction record for the French Impressionist master.

The sale at Sotheby’s – the first time the work had come to auction since 1986 – fetched one of the 10 highest prices ever seen at auction.

The total, which includes fees and the commission, was more than 44 times the previous record for the work.

It was the first time an Impressionist painting fetched more than $US100 million.

Monet painted his 25 Meules compositions during the winter of 1890-1891 at his home in Giverny, in France’s Normandy region.

In each piece, Monet showed the light and surroundings of the same scene as they changed at different times of day, with the varying seasons and during various types of weather.

Another painting from the series was sold in November 2016 by Christie’s auction house in New York for $US81.4 million ($A118m).

The piece sold at Sotheby’s is among the most immediately recognisable Monet paintings.

Picture: AP/SOTHEBY’S Claude Monet’s painting Meules has fetched a record $US110.7 million at an auction in New York. The 1890 painting sold at Sotheby’s sale of Impressionist & Modern Art.