Painting breaks sale record at $300mn

A painting of two the Tahitian girls by French artist Gauguin has been sold for $300 million, making it the most expensive work of art ever sold.

"Nafea Faa Ipoipo", or "When Will You Marry?" was painted in 1892 and had been owned by a Swiss collector, BBC reported Saturday.

Unconfirmed reports suggest it was sold to a museum in Qatar.

However, Qatar has not yet confirmed the purchase.

The small oil-rich state paid the previous highest price for a painting, a work by Paul Cezanne which sold for $259 millon.

Before its sale, the Gaugin artwork had been owned by Rudolf Staechelin, a collector from Switzerland's third most populous city, Basel.