Madonna's picture sells for $ 24,000

A nude photograph of pop diva Madonna taken in 1990 has sold for almost $ 24,000 to an anonymous buyer.

The black and white picture - which was taken in 1990 and depicts the singer lying on a bed while smoking a cigarette and partially covered by a sheet - was bought by an unnamed collector for $ 23,750, three times its estimated worth.

Judith Eurich from Bonhams, the New York saleroom which sold the picture, said, "It is an absolutely stunning image and it is just a beautiful tone of grey. It is not just black and white it is grey and silvery."

The 21.5 inch by 19 inch picture was originally bought by a vendor from a New York gallery. The photograph was taken by Steven Meisel - who worked on Madonna's Sex book.