Over the last few years, a lot of new records have been set and broken at auctions for the most expensive painting ever sold. Art experts usually predict high prices for old and modern artworks, but sometimes they cannot foresee the skyrocketing amounts that collectors are willing to pay for their favourite masterpieces. These are the top 10 most expensive works of art ever sold...so far.
10. ‘No 5, 1984’, Jackson Pollock - €109 million
The first work of art is ‘No. 5, 1984’, considered one of Pollock’s finest pieces. With its yellow and brown expressionistic drips, it's considered to be a major work in the abstract expressionist movement. The work was sold for €109 million and is said to have been bought in 2006 by Mexican financier David Martinez, but the collector denies this. It set the record at the time for the most expensive painting ever sold, and this record was not broken until 2011.
Image source: Jackson Pollock
9. ‘No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red)’, Mark Rothko - €140 million
With its large colour planes in hazy shades, ‘No. 6’ is very typical for Rothko’s oeuvre. It was sold for €140 million to Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev in 2014. For more than 10 years, Rothko’s work has been raising top prices at auctions.
Image source: Art.com8. ‘Nu couché’, Amedeo Modigliani - €158 million
The work ‘Nu couché’, or ‘Reclining Nude’, was painted by Modigliani in 1917-18. It is one of his most famous works and it was therefore popular when it came on the market in 2015. The work was sold for €158 million to billionaire investor Lui Yiqian.
7. ‘Pendant portraits of Maerten Soomans and Oopjen Coppit’, Rembrandt - €160 million
This pair of wedding portraits was bought by two museums combining their forces. In 2015, The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam and the Louvre Paris collected €160 million together for the works, setting a record for the price paid for Rembrandt’s works. The panels are true masterpieces and therefore a great addition to the museums' collections. Both museums will take turns in displaying these paintings amongst their other works of art.
6. ‘Les Femmes d’Alger (“Version O”)’, Pablo Picasso - €161 million
Picasso’s works never lose the interest of art buyers. ‘Les Femmes d’Alger’ is a series consisting of 15 paintings which have been sold off separately over the years. ‘Version O’ was the final painting in the series and was for a long time considered the most important Picasso privately owned. It was no surprise that it raised €161 million when it came on the market in 2015. It was sold to Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, former prime minister of Qatar.
Image source: Verve Magazine
5. ‘When Will You Marry?’, Paul Gauguin - €162 million
‘When Will You Marry?’ was made in 1892 and depicts two Tahitian women, in Gauguin’s famous colour scheme. The work was sold for €162 million to a collector in Qatar. It is not a surprise that Gauguin’s work sold for such a high amount, since he is one of the founders of modernism.
4. ‘The Card Players’, Paul Cézanne - €173 million
This painting, depicting two working-class men playing cards, is considered to be a cornerstone of Cézanne’s work leading up to his final years. There are 5 painting in this series and the other 4 are housed in world-class collections, however this was the only one to remain in private hands. This masterpiece was bought by the royal family of Qatar in 2011 for €173 million and remains in their private collection of paintings.
3. ‘Number 17A’, Jackson Pollock - €177 million
This beautifully coloured drip painting is a great example of Pollock’s abstract expressionism. The work was purchased by hedge fund billionaire Kenneth Griffin in September 2015 along with the next painting on our list. Today the works can be seen at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Image source: Noise Break
2. ‘Interchange’, Willem de Kooning - €266 million
When the work ‘Interchange’ by Willem de Kooning was auctioned in 2015 for €266 million, it set the record for the most expensive painting ever sold which was not broken until 2 years later. Kenneth Griffin, who also bought ‘Number 17a’ by Jackson Pollock, bought ‘Interchange’ in the same purchase. The reason why he paid that much for the work is because it represents the important transition period to abstract expressionism in De Koonings oeuvre.
Image source: Wikipedia
1. ‘Salvator Mundi’, Leonardo Da Vinci - €382 million
Nobody could have guessed that in November, 2017, Leonardo Da Vinci’s ‘Salvator Mundi’ would be sold for nearly €382 million, almost triple the amount predicted by experts. The work, depicting Christ as the saviour of the world, is an important masterpiece because it is believed to be the last known Da Vinci in private hands, but it actually took quite some time to establish this. It was heavily painted over when purchased in 2005, and therefore assumed to be a copy. But after restoration it was discovered to be a long-lost Da Vinci original. After a 19 minute long bidding war, the painting was bought by Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture & Tourism and will be displayed at the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
Luckily, you don’t need to spend millions of euros to own a great painting. At Catawiki, all kinds of paintings are sold, from classic artworks to modern masterpieces. And if you’re ready to cash in on your own art investment, our team of in-house art experts will be happy to take a look! You don’t need to be a professional to start selling on Catawiki, we’re just as happy to help you sell a special object from your private collection. Simply offer it up for auction and who knows? Maybe you’ll be setting records soon!
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