Post-war art broke the $70 million (€51 million) mark for a second straight night yesterday as Christie's sold $385 million worth of contemporary art.
This time it was Andy Warhol's Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car I)from the pop artist's Death and Disasterseries, which soared to $71.72 million at the sale in New York.
That was just shy of the $72.84 million fetched by a Mark Rothko at Sotheby's on Tuesday night, which shattered the record for post-war art at auction.
The $385 million Christie's total, including commission, was the best result for any contemporary/post-war auction worldwide, as newer works solidified their position at the forefront of the art market boom.
Records fell for more than half of the 50 artists represented, including Jasper Johns, Gerhard Richter and Donald Judd, in addition to Warhol whose previous top price of $17.4 million for Maowas achieved only last autumn.
The sale beat Christie's most optimistic expectations by some $80 million, while only four of 78 works on offer failed to sell.
"It was one of the most remarkable sales I've ever seen," said Christie's honorary chairman Christopher Burge, who also served as auctioneer. "The market wasn't just hungry, it was ravenous."