A portrait of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has been auctioned off for about 260,000 U.S. dollars at an international arts fair in Moscow, local media reported Friday.

The work by U.S. pop-artist David Datuna was from the series " Putin Couture" and is called "Putin-Mona Lisa". It is formed by numerous small images of Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

The starting price of the portrait is 130,000 dollars, said the art fair representative.

Organizers of the fair did not disclose the name of the buyer, only saying he was a "famous Russian businessman".

The frenzy, they said, might due to last Saturday's nomination of Putin as a presidential candidate for the March 2012 elections.

Georgian-born Datuna has been living in the U.S. since 1999. Some of his works are on display at Moscow Modern Arts Museum.