The screens sold swiftly to a Japanese collector for about $800,000.

Both the limited availability and the inflated prices increase their prestige appeal to Japanese collectors.

Japanese collectors find it easy to appreciate prints, because works on paper are very much part of their own cultural heritage.

Last night a Japanese collector was the seller.

"There always have been Japanese private collectors who operate like any other collector," he said.

All sold well in their home market, and have attained cult-status amongst Japanese collectors.

For Japanese collectors, however, the tenacious pursuit of well-known artists has a long history.

This makes it the target of Japanese collectors keen to possess a creature that sports their national flag.

Another Japanese collector, a new buyer who declined to give his name, spent $680,962 for 10 objects.

That Japanese collectors brought modern European paintings back to their own homes is perhaps less familiar.