Many painters of the past left this world, and did not know that over time their paintings will cost millions of dollars, and collectors around the world will not spare their fortunes, hoping to have another painting masterpiece in their collection. We will plunge into the world of painting, and consider the most expensive paintings ever exhibited at world auctions or stored in private collections.
List of the most expensive paintings in the world:
27
White Center, Rothko
Mark Rothko, who left Russia with his parents at the age of ten, wrote The White Center in 1950. But in 2007 it was bought for $ 72.8 million.
The American billionaire David Rockefeller put it up for auction, and the bid price was half that. At the same auction, the work of Warhol and other post-war masters went for a lower price than the painting by Rothko.
26
Royal Red and Blue, Rothko
Leading artist working in a special style, Mark Rothko painted his masterpiece in 1954. After half a century, the painting was sold at Christie's auction for $ 75.1 million.
Note that representatives of this school draw their paintings very quickly on huge canvases.
25
Beating the Babies, Rubens
The New Testament story, which inspired Peter Paul Rubens to paint in 1610, was acquired at London Sotheby's for a record $ 76.7 million.
Surprisingly, the price increase was simply phenomenal, because they put it up with an initial cost of € 5 million.
24
Ball at the Moulins de la Galette, Renoir
Sold in 1990 by a French painter, graphic artist and sculptor Pierre Auguste Renoir for $ 78.1 million, at that time he firmly took second place in the list of expensive masterpieces.
And Pierre wrote it, looking out of the window of his rented apartment at a restaurant with a dance floor. And in the will, the artist indicated that this painting should be cremated with the body of the artist, but because of debts it was left as collateral.
23
Turquoise Marilyn, Warhol
Modern artists do not lag behind their predecessors. Andy Warhol's Turquoise Marilyn was sold for $ 80 million.
The exact price, which Steve Cohen bought in 2007, did not confirm, but in the world of collectors it is considered to be true.
22
False Start, Johnson
For a long time, the work of Jasper Johnson was the leader among the expensive works of the now living artists.
Bought from hand to hand for $ 80 million, the picture passed from David Geffen to Kenneth S. Griffin, director of the investment company.
21
"Portrait of Dr. Gachet", Van Gogh
The picture of Vincent Van Gogh, unrecognized during his lifetime, was acquired by the Japanese businessman Riyoei Saito for $ 82.5 million at one of the auctions in 1990.
Saito bequeathed to cremate "Portrait" with him, but in 1996, when Van Gogh passed away, relatives resold this painting in unknown hands.
By the way, this is the last work of the genius Van Gogh, which he wrote two weeks before his death.
20
“Suprematist composition”, Malevich
This work of the Russian avant-garde among others accidentally ended up in Berlin, and miraculously survived during the war.
In 2008, Sotheby's paid $ 60 million for her. But as you know, the master’s most famous painting is Black Square.
In May 2018, after 10 years, this painting was sold for $ 85.8 million. Over $ 20 million in 10 years, you see, this is a good investment!
19
Triptych, Bacon
The work of master Francis Bacon was acquired by Russian businessman Roman Abramovich for $ 86.3 million.
Of the five triptychs of Bacon, this is one of the most expensive in history sold, and located in private collections.
18
"Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II", Klimt
The artist Gustav Klimt, who painted this portrait, sold it immediately after the sale of the first painting. The buyer wished to remain anonymous.
The price of the second canvas was $ 87.9 million, and brought the total amount of paintings sold by the founder of Art Nouveau reached $ 192 million.
17
“Dora Maar with a Cat,” Picasso
Picasso’s work, written by a recognized master of surrealism in 1941, broke all records at one time, because they didn’t spare $ 95.2 million for it. An unknown Russian businessman bought the painting.
Note that the total purchase price amounted to more than $ 100 million, since in addition to the portrait, the paintings of Chagall and Monet went under the hammer.
16
The Boy with the Pipe, Picasso
Picasso's work, written in 1905, became the first masterpiece of painting, which overcame the bar of $ 100 million.
$ 104.2 million was paid by an unknown buyer for the “Boy with a pipe” in 2004.
At the time of writing the portrait in the hostel of Montmartre, where Pablo then lived, the artist was 24 years old.
15
Silver Car Accident (Double Catastrophe), Warhol
After the purchase of Andy Warhol’s painting at Sotheby's for $ 105.4 million, it became the most expensive pop art style founder in her life.
The painting was included in the series, executed by the artist in the 30-50s, dedicated to car accidents.
14
“Naked, green leaves and bust”, Picasso
Picasso can safely be called a leader in the number of paintings sold at a very high price. So “Nude” was bought by Sidney F. Brody for $ 106.5 million.
This sensual creation has become the most expensive in the series of paintings sold by Picasso. Until 1961, the owner did not expose her in public.
13
The Flag, Jones
Drawing in 1958 the flag of the United States, the representative of pop art Jasper Jones probably did not suspect that he would be acquired for $ 110 million.
According to legend, Jones painted it after he dreamed of the flag of his country. Other “Flags” were bought at lower prices, but still quite well known on the North American continent.
12
The Scream, Munch
Edward Munch wrote 4 versions of The Scream, inspired by a volcanic eruption. Only one option is in the private collection, which in 2012 was bought for $ 119,992,500.
The paintings have many names, and this is one of the most popular and famous creations of the master.
11
"Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I", Klimt
After going through a series of legal proceedings, the work of Gustav Klimt’s brush was in the hands of Maria Altman. The Austrian art gallery simply did not have the funds to purchase a masterpiece.
$ 135 million was paid in 2006 for this picture by Ronald Lauder, and now she adorns his gallery in New York.
10
"Woman III", Kooning
And for such expressive creations, collectors are ready to lay out whole fortunes. The “woman” of the Dutchman Willem de Kooning was bought for $ 137.5 million by Stephen A. Cohen from the already known Geffen.
Abstraction became one of a series written by Willem in 1951-1953.
9
"No. 5, 1948", Pollock
The sale of this strange work by Jackson Pollock was reported in the New York Times. The price for which David Martinez bought it all from the same collector Geffen was $ 140 million.
But the new owner refused to confirm the price, so, however, it was shrouded in fog, as, however, as we see in the photo reproductions, the creation itself.
8
"Three Etudes of Lucian Freud," Bacon
But this "Triptych" Bacon purchased for $ 142.4 million. Today it is the most expensive painting of masters of modern art.
The Irishman portrayed in it in three variations his friend English artist Lucian Freud.
7
“Le Reve” (“Dream” or “Dream”), Picasso
Perhaps the most famous and sensual work by Pablo Picasso was sold for $ 155 million.
In 1932, he painted his beloved woman, Marie-Theres Walter, sleeping in a red chair. Previously, it was estimated at $ 139 million, but the deal was disrupted, and after a while they laid out a lot more.
6
Reclining Nude, Modigliani
This work of the hand of the Italian master Amedeo Modigliani is not only one of the most expensive in the world, it is also considered one of the most exhibited paintings.
The painting was painted in the 17-18s of the last century, and it was sold in 2015 at a New York auction for $ 170.4 million.
5
Algerian Women, Picasso
The paintings of this artist in the XXI century are very popular. This rating is a direct confirmation of this thought.
The painting "Algerian Women", painted in 1955, was sold at Christies auction 60 years later for $ 179 million 365 thousand.
Surprisingly, over 18 years the cost of this canvas has increased from $ 31 million to almost $ 180 million. So, Picasso's paintings are a good investment.
4
“When will you marry?”, Gauguin
Painted in 1892 by Gauguin, the painting “Nafea Faa I poipo” depicting two Tahitians in 2015 was sold for $ 210 million. Initially, the press reported that $ 300 million was paid for the painting, making it the most expensive painting in the world.
Until 2015, the canvas belonged to a private collector from Switzerland, Basel Rudolf Stekhelin. The name of the new owner was not disclosed, but there is great reason to believe that the organization “Qatar Museums” acquired the painting.
3
"Card Players," Cezanne
The creation of the brush by Paul Cezanne, written by the master in the period from 1891 to 1895, was appreciated by an unknown buyer.
Opinions about its price differ, but it was allegedly sold for $ 250 million, and ended up in Qatar in the family of the emir.
2
The Exchange, Willem de Kooning
This is another picture put up for sale by collector Stekhelin in 2015. The painting was acquired by the organization “Qatar Museums”.
1
The Savior of the World, Leonardo Da Vinci
Toward the end of 2017, a painting was sold at Christie’s auction for a record $ 450 million. This work of the great master is by far the most expensive painting ever sold at auctions in the world. At the same time, the initial cost of work at the auction was $ 100 million and within half an hour of trading, it increased 4 times. This painting belonged to the Russian Dmitry Rybolovlev, who had previously acquired it for $ 127 million.
Conclusion
Many of the masterpieces have settled in private collections and are rarely on display, but thanks to the photo we can see them.
How to love painting in order to lay out such money for works of artists. But, perhaps, there is a moment of prestige, and from the point of view of the layman it is very difficult to explain.
Be that as it may, under the hammer of auctions, or simply by agreement, collectors from all over the world and businessmen purchase paintings for their collections. And here psychologists already explain this with the phenomenon of simple happiness from owning an expensive masterpiece. The art market is quite active, so information about the most expensive paintings in the world can quickly become obsolete. Perhaps now this rating already looks a little different.
If you are interested in the topic of art, you can read a fascinating article about the largest paintings in the world. Thebiggest is always waiting for your comments. Write which expensive paintings, in your opinion, are greatly overestimated, and which are priceless.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated since its initial publication in November 2017.
Authors of the article: Valery Skiba, Alexey Shcherbakov