HONG KONG (Bloomberg) - Asia's richest man, Wang Jinlian, was the buyer of a Claude Monet painting that sold for US$20.4 million (S$27.23 million) at Sotheby's in New York, the auction house said in a press release.

The 1913 oil painting was purchased by Dalian Wanda Group, the closely held company controlled by Wang, at Sotheby's Impressionist and Modern Art auction on May 5, the Chinese company said.

Titled "Bassin aux nympheas, les rosiers," it depicts an arched bridge overlooking a sun-dappled water lily pond on the impressionist painter's property in Giverny, France.

The Wanda group has been buying up Western artworks in recent years, including Pablo Picasso's "Claude et Paloma" bought for US$28.2 million in 2003.

Chinese movie mogul Wang Zhongjun bought a Picasso for US$29.9 million at the May 5 auction where Asian collectors purchased three of the sale's top five lots, Sotheby's said.