At Christie's on Wed. night, bidders were competitive for top-tier examples by Henri Matisse and Juan Gris while average works by other leading Impressionists and modern masters were left bidless.

Matisse’s 6-foot bronze sculpture of a woman’s back — “Nu de Dos, 4 État (Back IV)” brought on fierce bidding. The winner was dealer Larry Gagosian who dropped $48.8 million on the piece for an unidentified client.

From the collection of Henry and Marie-Josée Kravis, the colorful 1913 painting by Gris, “Violin and Guitar," which was expected to bring $18 million to $25 million, sold to an unidentified telephone bidder for $28.6 million, a record auction price for the artist.

The Christie’s sale total, the second in this auction series, brought $231.4 million, against an estimate of $199 million to $287 million. Of the 84 works on offer, 67 sold.