NEW YORK ~ A masterpiece by French impressionist Claude Monet sold for US$41.4 million at auction in New York this week, setting a new record for the artist.

Le Pont du chemin de fer a Argenteuil, an 1873 painting described by Christie’s auction house as a “truly exceptional picture,” was bought by an anonymous telephone bidder on Tuesday.

However, two other works by the artist, as well as works by Vincent Van Gogh, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Henri Matisse, failed to find buyers, adding fuel to concerns that the art market is feeling the pinch of the weak US economy.

A further record was set by the sale of Auguste Rodin’s Eve, grand modele – version sans rocher, which sold for $18.9 million to a telephone bidder.