A Francis Bacon piece did not sell

A self-portrait of Warhol, rendered in yellow in 1986 a year before the artist's death, went for more than $3m (�2m), well above the high estimate of $2m (�1.3m).

It also sets a record for a Warhol self-portrait.

Warhol's Five Deaths, an orange silk-screen of a car wreck from the early 1960s, fetched $3m.

Three other Warhols - Four Jackies, Superman and an earlier self-portrait - all sold for around $1.8m (�1.2m) each.

Sotheby's said the steadily rising prices for his work may be due to collectors thinking there were fewer Warhols available than previously thought.

Disappointment

Other highlights included Alexander Calder's Dos discos blancos, which fetched just under $2m, well above its high estimate of $1.2m (�820,000).

Willem de Kooning's Untitled XI went for nearly double its estimate at $1.6m (�1m).

However, it was not all good news as some artists including Cy Twombly, Francis Bacon and Mark Rothko.

Their works, which had estimates of up to $3.5m (�2.4m), failed to sell.