A portrait created by a computer is to be sold at Christie’s in New York, marking the first time a leading auction house has dealt in art made by artificial intelligence.

The "painting" of a fictional man, who has been named Edmond Belamy, is the work of a Paris-based trio of 25-year-olds, who are making a name for themselves with pioneering computer-generated art.

Gauthier Vernier, one of the three co-founders of the Obvious art collective, laughed when asked if they intended to put human artists out of business.

“There is enough space for us all,” he told The Telegraph.

“We see this as a new branch of art, in the same way as photography was in the 1800s. We’re a new generation of creatives, but we certainly won’t replace other innovative artists.”