Chilean artist Roberto Matta's 1944 "La revolte des contraires," an oil on canvas

Chilean painter Roberto Matta's La revolte des contraires (The revolt of opposites) fetched £3.2million ($5m) at a New York auction devoted to Latin American art, setting a new record for the artist.

The winning bid doubled the initial estimate of $2.5 million for the piece, according to Christie's, which held the auction.

The abstract painting is of a surreal landscape, with yellow and black polygons, ocular circles and gray waves and eddies.

Virgilio Garza, Head of Latin American Paintings at Christie's, called the sale a "long overdue recognition for one of the most influential artists of the 20th century." Matta died in 2002.

He added that "major records for modern and contemporary Latin American works were set tonight," with the total sale reaching some $23 million.

Other artists also set personal records, including Brazilian Candido Portinari, whose "Navio negreiro" sold for $1.14 million and Argentine Emilio Pettoruti's "Concierto" selling for $800,000.

Uruguayan artist Joaquin Torres-Garcia's "Grafismo Universal" went for $1.42 million, and Chilean Caludio Bravo's "Psalterium" fetched $1.14 million.

Sotheby's will hold similar auctions, with all eyes on Mexican Diego Rivera's "Girl in Blue and White (Portrait of Juanita Rosas at ten years old)," expected to sell for around $5 million.

Earlier this month, the only privately owned version of Edvard Munch's "The Scream" - one of the most recognisable paintings in history - set a world record when it sold for $119.9 million at Sotheby's.