Sydney - Pablo Picasso's Sylvette set a record Wednesday as the most expensive painting sold at auction in Australia.

The brightly coloured portrait sold for 6.89 million Australian dollars (6.4 million US dollars) compared with the pre-auction estimated price of 6 million Australian dollars.

Sylvette was painted by Picasso in 1954 when the artist was in his 80s. He was captivated by Sylvette David and produced more than 40 paintings and drawings of her. (dpa)