Xie Nanxing's work tops Sotheby's sale

Untitled (Ambiguous Flower No.4), by Xie Nanxing. Photos provided to China Daily

Sotheby's Beijing auction of modern and contemporary Chinese art on Sunday grossed 165 million yuan ($25.8 million).

The top lot was a painting, Untitled (Ambiguous Flower No.4), by Xie Nanxing, 45, who is based in Beijing and Chengdu, which fetched 2.12 million yuan.

The market displayed a highly cautious attitude but the sale showed a stable performance of works by middle-aged and established artists said a spokesman for the international auction house.

Xu Lei's ink painting Wondering in the City sold for 2 million yuan while Yuan Yuan's oil on canvas sold for 920,000 yuan.