Auction house Sotheby's announced Wednesday that it had enjoyed record annual sales of $7.3 billion in 2021 as the art market rebounds from the pandemic.

Sotheby's said in a statement it had already made $6 billion from auctions this year, up 71 percent on 2020, with 20 auctions still to go.

It achieved another $1.3 billion in private sales.

Sotheby's added that its year-to-date consolidated sales of $7.3 billion represented "the strongest total" in the company's 277-year history.

Sotheby's sold Mark Rothko's "No. 7" from the Macklowe collection for $82.4 million in November 2021
Sotheby's sold Mark Rothko's "No. 7" from the Macklowe collection for $82.4 million in November 2021 AFP / ANGELA WEISS

Sales were boosted by Asian buyers, new collectors, and the Macklowe collection -- the world's most expensive to hit the market.

Asian collectors accounted for 46 percent of bids and purchases of lots over $5 million.

Sotheby's said the purchase of Alberto Giacometti's "Le Nez" by cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun for $78.4 million was symbolic of "an influx of younger, tech-savvy collectors."

The first part of an art collection owned by New York real estate developer Harry Macklowe and his ex-wife Linda Burg that was put on sale after their bitter divorce fetched $676 million last month.

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs), unique digital objects that confer ownership through blockchain technology, contributed almost $100 million.