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Rock legend and keen art collector Eric Clapton has sold a valuable painting by Gerhard Richter for over £21million at a London auction.

The 'Layla' star sold the work for £21.3m at London auction house Sotheby's to an anonymous bidder - said to more than ten times what Clapton paid for the work originally. Clapton bought the red, blue and yellow oil painting in New York in 2001.

The sale sets a record for sales of Richter paintings - with his work 'Abstract Picture (7938 - 3) having sold in May for £13.5m.

The £21.3million artwork (Sothebys)

Alex Branczik, Sotheby's senior director has spoken of the record-breaking sale, calling the multi-million sale as 'historic'.

"The combination of outstanding provenance and gold-standard quality in this sublime work by this blue-chip artist made for an historic auction moment," he says.

"Gerhard Richter's international appeal as one of the hottest contemporary artists was once again confirmed this evening."

German painter Richter is considered the world's top-selling living artists. The Dresden-born artist works from Cologne.

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