AN Andy Warhol painting has sold for nearly $11 million, a Sotheby's auctioneer said.

Skulls , 10 canvases that repeatedly represent an icon of a human skull or "the literal multiplication of death", fetched £4,353,250, including the buyer's premium.

The canvases, created in 1976, feature identical skulls in contrasting colours. They are made of acrylic and silkscreen ink and each is signed and dated by Warhol (pictured).

Cheyenne Westphal, chairman of contemporary art for Sotheby's Europe, said Friday evening's sale of contemporary art fell short of its estimate but the Warhol piece showed buyers were still on the lookout for "works of high quality" despite the economic climate.