Vincent van Gogh's L'allee des Alyscamps (the alley of Alyscamps) was sold for $66.33 million, taking the top spot. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

4. Vincent van Gogh's L'allee des Alyscamps (the alley of Alyscamps), $66.33 million, May 5

Vincent van Gogh's L'allee des Alyscamps (the alley of Alyscamps) sold for $66.33 million, taking the top spot at Sotheby's evening sale of Impressionism and Modern Art on May 5, 2015 in New York. It also ranks ninth among the priciest artworks sold this year.

A Chinese mainland buyer won a hotly contested bidding race with another four competitors, including "an important American museum", said Sotheby's, which refused to reveal the identity of the buyer.