Edvard Munch's iconic 'Scream', 1895, fetched a record-breaking $119.9million at auction at Sotheby's yesterday.

In just twelve minutes, five bidders had reached the staggering figure, with a secret phone bidder winning the globally recognised artwork.

The painting shows a man holding his head and screaming under a streaked, blood-orange sky, and is one of four versions by the Norwegian artist. The one sold by Sotheby's is considered the most colorful and vibrant of the four, and is the only version whose frame was hand-painted by the artist, who included a poem relating the work's inspiration.

'Scream' topped the $106.5million sale of Picasso's 'Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust', also sold by Sotheby's in 2010.