A heated bidding battle erupted for Barnett Newman’s “Onement VI” at Sotheby's on Tuesday night, sending the vivid blue abstraction to $43.8 million, a record price for the artist’s work at auction.

Gerhard Richter’s “Domplatz, Mailand [Cathedral Square, Milan]” from 1968 also set the artist's record price at auction bringing $37.1 million with fees, near its $40 million high estimate, and the highest price ever for a contemporary artist. The buyer was reportedly New York businessman Donald L. Bryant, who said he purchased the huge, 9 by 9 1/2-foot photo-based painting for a home he is building in the Napa Valley.

Clyfford Still’s “PH-21,” from 1962, brought $20.8 million with fees, on par with prices for fellow Abstract Expressionist Jackson Pollock whose 1946 “Blue Unconscious" also fetched $20.8 million with fees from dealer David Zwirner. An unnamed Texas collector had bought the Pollock for $45,000 in 1965.

Buyers were selective, leaving four lots unsold of the 64 works offered. The auction totaled $293.6 million, above its low estimate of $283.9 million but not close to its $382.9 million high.