Modigliani’s Reclining Nude sells for £113m, second highest sum ever paid for a painting

The Italian painter's work was not appreciated during his fairly short life

Amedeo Modigliani’s 1917 oil on canvas Nu couché has fetched US$170.4m (£112.7m) at a Christie’s auction in New York, making it the second most expensive painting ever.

The reclining nude is one of several produced by the Italian painter, whose work was poorly received during his lifetime.

Christie’s said that the painting was bought by private Chinese collectors, with the Wall Street Journal naming the buyer as billionaire Liu Yiqian.

Nu couché caused a stir when it was first exhibited in Paris in 1917, a vivid depiction of a woman lying naked on a red sofa.

The painting’s $170.4m price tag was only $9m short of the record for highest sum ever paid at auction for an artwork, which is still held by Pablo Picasso’s Women of Algiers (Version O), which sold for $179.4m at Christie’s in May.

Modigliani’s work was characterised by figures with elongated faces and limbs, and also included drawings and sculptures.