The elaborative journey of art is a never-ending stream of artistry with distinguishing pigments laid upon any canvas. A day before, as I was learning about one of the finest artists from the Dutch golden age of art, Johannes Vermeer, a minute word came to my notice, Price! As much as it holds true that any figure in the world can’t negotiate with the artistry from the past, there are some of the finest artworks with a massive tag, making them the most expensive paintings to exist. Today, as we indulge in seeing through the beauty of these frames, we will also analyze their price metric (according to the last auction) in descending order.
Additionally, I will try to include details such as the artist who made the artwork, their current owner, and where you can view them in person if available.
So, without further ado, let’s get started!
21 Most Expensive Paintings Sold at Any Auction.
1. Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci.
| Artist | Leonardo da Vinci |
| Year Painted | Around 1500 |
| Dimensions | 66 cm x 45 cm |
| Current Owner | Prince Badr bin Abdullah |
| Price | $450.3 Million |
It is an artwork by Leonardo Da Vinci commissioned around 1500. After being presumed lost for a long time, it was recovered and restored in 2011-12 in the National Art Museum of London. The painting displays the renaissance of Jesus Christ with the cross in his right hand and a crystal ball in his left hand.
In 2017, it was auctioned for $450.3 Million by Christie’s to Prince Badr bin Abdullah, making it the most expensive painting in the world, to appear at auction.
2. Interchange by Willem de Kooning.
| Artist | Willem de Kooning (1904 – 1997) |
| Year Painted | 1955 |
| Dimensions | 200.7 cm × 175.3 cm |
| Current Owner | Kenneth C. Griffin |
| Price | $300 Million |
An abstract expressionist oil painting, by Dutch painter Willem de Kooning, Interchange was completed in 1955. If you look closely, the subject is basically the transition of the artist from a woman to natural landscape. It features a woman in pink sitting at its centre in a seated position. Originally sold by the artist for $4000 in 1955; it was auctioned to Kenneth C. Griffin in September 2015 for $300 Million, making it one of the most expensive paintings ever sold.
3. The Card Players by Paul Cézanne.
| Artist | Paul Cézanne |
| Year Painted | 1894 – 1895 |
| Dimensions | 47.5 cm × 57 cm |
| Current Owner | State of Qatar |
| Price | $250 Million |
The artwork is a series of five oil paintings by the French artist Paul Cézanne. It depicts Provencal peasants who are either way gambling with their eyes down or playing cards. Even though Cézanne painted five paintings of card players, the final three are similar in composition and number of players (two), so they are sometimes grouped together as one. It was auctioned in the year 2011, purchased by the State of Qatar at the price of $250 Million.
4. Nafea FAA Ipoipo / When Will You Marry by Paul Gauguin.
| Artist | Paul Gauguin |
| Year Painted | 1892 |
| Dimensions | 101 cm x 77 cm |
| Current Owner | State of Qatar |
| Price | $210 Million |
When will you marry is an artwork based on Tahitian culture by famous French artist Paul Gauguin. When he was in search of inspiration, he found Tahitian culture to be the best, but the European outbreak of diseases completely destroyed their culture. He portrayed two ladies here where the red dress girl waits for her marriage and her partner, whereas the high-collared woman’s postures direct us some alarm or warning. In 2014, the artwork sold for close to $210 million in a private sale auction to State of Qatar.
5. Number 17A by Jackson Pollock.
| Artist | Jackson Pollock |
| Year Painted | 1948 |
| Dimensions | 112 cm x 86.5 cm |
| Current Owner | David Geffen |
| Price | $200 Million |
The abstract painting comes under expressionist artwork by the famous artist Jackson Pollock. It is oil paint on fiberboard created by dipping and splashing the paint on the canvas. The artist introduced the Drip style technique, painted in August 1949. In 2015, David Geffen bought it for $200 Million.
6. The Standard Bearer by Rembrandt.
| Artist | Rembrandt |
| Year Painted | 1636 |
| Dimensions | 118.8 cm × 96.8 cm |
| Current Owner | Rijksmuseum |
| Price | $150 Million |
The painting is a portrait by Rembrandt, which was in the formerly collection of Elie de Rothschild (since 1844). When the artist moved to Amsterdam from Leiden, he displayed it in the form of this artwork. The Dutch government purchased it for $150 Million at a private sale from the Rothschild family.
7. Shot Sage Blue Marilyn by Andy Warhol.
| Artist | Andy Warhol |
| Year Painted | 1964 |
| Dimensions | 101.6 x 101.6 cm |
| Current Owner | Larry Gagosian |
| Price | $195 Million |
Shot Sage Blue Marilyn is one of the four of Marilyn Monroe’s silk-screen depictions by Andy Warhol. Initially sold for $5000 in 1967 to Peter Bryant, the art piece grabbed headlines when Larry Gagosian, an American art dealer, bought it for a whopping $195 Million at a Christie’s auction in 2022 making it 7th of the most expensive paintings ever sold.
8. No. 6 (Violent Green and Red) by Mark Rothko.
| Artist | Mark Rothko |
| Year Painted | 1951 |
| Dimensions | 235 cm × 330 cm |
| Current Owner | Dmitry Rybolovlev |
| Price | €140 Million |
The shades of uneven colour are characteristic of the abstract expressionist Mark Rothko’s 1951 painting. As a result of the rich mixture of red, blue, and black, it resembles eye-catching colours. It became the 8th of the most expensive paintings in 2014 when Dmitry Rybolovlev purchased it for €140 Million.
9. Wasserschlangen II by Gustav Klimt.
| Artist | Gustav Klimt |
| Year Painted | 1904 – 07 |
| Dimensions | 80 cm × 145 cm |
| Current Owner | Dmitry Rybolovlev |
| Price | $170 Million |
The oil painting, also called Water Serpents 2, made by Gustav Klimt, has been the centre of controversy and attraction in 2013 due to its long history of being stolen by Nazis. It portrays the magical colours in lustful bliss. The subject shows nudity with their heads visible and bodies lying on each other. A common artistic tradition for centuries has been depicting mythical figures in noncontroversial ways. Nevertheless, it has also been interpreted as a representation of a lesbian orgy. The following artwork sold for $170 Million to Dmitry Rybolovlev.
10. Pendant Portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit by Rembrandt.
| Artist | Gustav Klimt |
| Year Painted | 1904 – 07 |
| Dimensions | 80 cm × 145 cm |
| Current Owner | Dmitry Rybolovlev |
| Price | $170 Million |
The artwork displays a wedding portrait of Marten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit in 1634. The Rothschild family formerly owned this exquisite piece of art painted by Rembrandt. Despite being painted separately, both subjects are always hung together. The artwork’s regular appearance in period inventories indicates that they are among Rembrandt’s strongest works.
Pendant portraits of Maerten Soolmans And Oopjen Coppit was sold for $160 Million to Rijksmuseum and Louvre at a private sale in 2016.
11. Les Femmes d’Alger (“Version O”) by Pablo Picasso.
| Artist | Pablo Picasso |
| Year Painted | 1955 |
| Dimensions | 114 cm × 146.4 cm |
| Current Owner | Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani |
| Price | $179.4 Million |
The Les Femmes d’Alger is a series of 15 paintings with different versions; painted by famous Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. It was a tribute to the artists whom Pablo loved and admired through his artwork.
Christie’s auctioned the painting in 2015 for $179.4 Million to Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani.
12. Nu Couché by Amedeo Modigliani.
| Artist | Amedeo Modigliani |
| Year Painted | 1917 |
| Dimensions | 60 cm × 92 cm |
| Current Owner | Liu Yiqian |
| Price | $170 Million |
Nu couché, or the reclining nude, is among the many sensuous art frames painted by Amedeo Modigliani in his career. Although it is unknown who the Italian Artist painted here, Nu couche accounted for far exceeding the previous records and fetching $170 Million at Christie’s New York. The painting is now part of the private gallery of the Chinese billionaire Liu Yiqian.
13. Masterpiece by Roy Fox Lichtenstein.
| Artist | Roy Fox Lichtenstein |
| Year Painted | 1962 |
| Dimensions | 137 cm × 137 cm |
| Current Owner | Steven A. Cohen |
| Price | $165 Million |
Known for pop art paintings with comedic messages, Roy Lichtenstein painted Masterpiece in 1962, portraying his career in a witty yet prescient way. The artwork came into the news when Steven A. Cohen bought it from Agnes Gund in 2017 for $165 Million, making it the 13th most expensive painting in the world.
14. Nu Couché (Sur le Côté Gauche) by Amedeo Modigliani.
| Artist | Amedeo Modigliani |
| Year Painted | 1917 |
| Dimensions | 89 cm x 146 cm |
| Current Owner | Unknown |
| Price | $157.2 Million |
Another Modigliani art frame among the most expensive paintings is Nu Couché (Sur le Côté Gauche) which displays a naked woman on a white couch and dark background and gazing backwards at the viewer. The painting attended a 2018 Sotheby’s auction where an unknown buyer bought it for a heavy $157.2 Million and made it one of the most expensive paintings by Modigliani.
15. Le Rêve by Pablo Picasso.
| Artist | Pablo Picasso |
| Year Painted | 1932 |
| Dimensions | 130 cm × 97 cm |
| Current Owner | Steven A. Cohen |
| Price | $155 Million |
Painted in only an afternoon, Le Rêve (English: The Dream) is a portrayal of Marie-Thérèse Walter, mistress of Picasso. The erotic artwork with oversimplified lines, contrasting colours and resembling early cubism grabbed $155 Million in a private sale to Steven A. Cohen in 2013.
16. Portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer II by Gustav Klimt.
| Artist | Gustav Klimt |
| Year Painted | 1912 |
| Dimensions | 190 cm × 120 cm |
| Current Owner | Unknown |
| Price | $150 Million |
This painting by Gustav Klimt portrays Adele, the wife of Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, a wealthy industrialist. You might be surprised to know that she was the only model who appeared twice in the portrait collection of Klimt. The Christie’s auction house sold Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II for almost $88 million in November 2006, making it the fourth most expensive art ever sold at auction, further, it sold for $150 Million at a private sale in 2016 to an unidentified buyer in China.
17. Three Studies of Lucian Freud by Francis Bacon.
| Artist | Francis Bacon |
| Year Painted | 1969 |
| Dimensions | 198 cm x 147.5 cm |
| Current Owner | Elaine Wynn |
| Price | $142.4 Million |
The masterpiece triptych Three Studies of Lucian Freud marks an epic climax between the relationship of Francis and his fellow painter, Lucian Freud. Through his masterful brushwork, Bacon has animated Freud, where we see him restlessly reposition himself, pivot his raised foot, kneeling with his hands in his lap, and rotate his head from canvas to canvas. Elaine Wynn bought the artwork at a world auction for $142.4 Million in New York on 12 November 2013.
18. Twelve Landscape Screens by Qi Baishi.
| Artist | Qi Baishi |
| Year Painted | 1925 |
| Dimensions | 180 cm x 47 cm |
| Current Owner | Unknown |
| Price | $140.8 Million |
The first Chinese artwork to ever cross $100 million at any auction, Twelve Landscape Screens is an expressive work painted by Qi Baishi in 1925. Although Poly Beijing did not disclose the name of the buyer, Leon Wender, a Chinese art expert, said that the bidding was conducted entirely on phones, and as per the official data, it sold for $140.8 Million or 931.5 Million Yuan.
19. No. 5, 1948 by Jackson Pollock.
| Artist | Jackson Pollock |
| Year Painted | 1948 |
| Dimensions | 243.8 cm x 121.9 cm |
| Current Owner | David Martinez |
| Price | $140 Million |
Jackson Pollock created this artwork in 1948 using his characteristic drip technique. No. 5 measures an impressive 8 ft. in length and 4 ft. in width. Auctioned for $140 Million in 2006, it now resides in a private collection of David Martinez in New York.
20. Woman III by Willem de Kooning.
| Artist | Willem de Kooning |
| Year Painted | 1953 |
| Dimensions | 172.7 cm × 123.2 cm |
| Current Owner | Steve A. Cohen |
| Price | $137.5 Million |
Painted by Willem de Kooning in 1953, Woman III is an abstract expressionist art that belongs to the private gallery of billionaire Steven A. Cohen, who bought the painting from mega collector David Geffen for $137.5 Million in 2006. This painting with a woman as the central theme measures 68 by 48 1/2 inches (1.73 by 1.23 m) and is one of the most important post-war artworks.
21. Portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer I by Gustav Klimt.
| Artist | Gustav Klimt |
| Year Painted | 1907 |
| Dimensions | 138 cm x 138 cm |
| Current Owner | Ronald Lauder |
| Price | $135 Million |
This painting depicts Adele Bloch Bauer, a wealthy Jewish patron of the arts who served as a model for several Gustav Klimt works. It is said Klimt made over 200 preparatory sketches and took over a year to make this naturalist and decorative depiction. The Portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer I sold for a massive $135 Million in 2006 to Ronald Lauder and now resides at the Neue Galerie in New York.
Conclusion.
Hopefully, the most expensive paintings’ list will flourish again, making new artists sell their imagination and art for the deserving amount. As you are still reading I will love to know your favourite artwork of all time and why, I will try to cover it in the next article, if haven’t already. Take Care!
Frequently Asked Questions.
The most expensive painting in the world is The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, valued at approximately $1 Billion in 2023. Though the painting is not available on sale and is often referred priceless, this pricing relates to a 1962 appraisal which was $100 Million, and it converts to nearly a billion after taking inflation into account.
Salvador Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci became the most expensive painting ever sold when it was auctioned in 2017 for $450.3 Million by Christie’s to Prince Badr bin Abdullah.
Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, one of the four portraits of Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol, is the artist’s most expensive painting to reach an auction price of $195 Million in 2022.
The most expensive painting by the Cubist painter Pablo Piccaso is Les Femmes d’Alger (Version O) auctioned by Christie’s for $179.4 Million in 2015 to Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani.
Portrait of Dr Paul Gachet, auctioned in 1990, is the most expensive Van Gogh painting that fetched $83 Million at Christie’s sale.
The ten most expensive paintings in the world according to their auction price are Salvador Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci, Interchange by Willem de Kooning, The Card Players by Paul Cézanne, Nafea Faa Ipoipo by Paul Gauguin, Number 17A by Jackson Pollock, The Standard Bearer by Rembrandt, Shot Sage Blue Marilyn by Andy Warhol, No. 6 (Violent Green and Red) by Mark Rothko, Wasserschlangen II by Gustav Klimt, and Pendant portraits of Maerten Soolmans And Oopjen Coppit by Rembrandt.
