Andy Warhol self-portrait sells for £10.8m

The 1967 work was one of 11 large self-portraits created that year

A rare Andy Warhol self-portrait has sold for £10.79m ($17.44m) at auction, having been in private hands since 1974.

The red and white portrait, which measures 6ft (1.8m) by 6ft, had been expected to fetch no more than £5m.

It was bought by an anonymous bidder at the auction held by Christie's in London.

The 1967 work was part of a historic series of 11 large-scale self-portraits created that year.

Warhol was at the height of his fame when he first exhibited his self-portrait at the Expo 67 world fair in Montreal, Canada.

The piece, which was put up for sale after his death, was exhibited in public for the first time at Christie's in New York in January this year.

Francis Outred, co-head of contemporary and post-war art at Christie's, said it had been "incredibly exciting" to handle a work of "such historic importance".

Warhol, a leading figure in the pop art movement, died in 1987 at the age of 59.