List of most expensive paintings From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of the highest known prices paid for paintings. The earliest sale on the list (Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh) is from 1987, and more than tripled the previous record price, set only two years before, introducing a new era in top picture prices. The sale was also significant in that for the first time a "modern" painting (in this case from 1888) became the record holder, as opposed to the old master paintings which had always previously held it. Since that time sales of the most valuable paintings have usually been made at auctions, though that had by no means always been the case before, and the list below still shows some "private sales", including the five most expensive. The current record price was paid for The Card Players by Paul Cézanne, which was sold for more than $250 million in 2011.[1][2][3]

Contents [hide] 1 Background The Card Players by Paul Cézanne is currently the most 2 Van Gogh and Picasso expensive painting ever sold. 3 List of highest prices paid at auctions or private sales (inflation adjusted) 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 External links

Background [edit]

The world's most famous paintings, especially old master works done before 1800, are generally owned or held at museums, for viewing for patrons. The museums very rarely sell them, and as such, they are quite literally priceless. Guinness World Records lists the Mona Lisa as having the highest insurance value for a painting in history. It was assessed at US$100 million on December 14, 1962, before the painting toured the United States for several months. However, the Louvre chose to spend the money that would have been spent on the insurance premium on security instead. Taking inflation into account, the 1962 value would be around US$772 million today. The earliest sale on the list below (Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh) is from March 1987; with a price of £24.75 million ($82 million in current dollars) it tripled the previous record and introduced a new era in top art sales. Before this, the highest absolute price paid for a painting was £8.1 million ($23 million in current dollars) paid by the J. Paul Getty Museum for Mantegna's Adoration of the Magi at Christie's in London on April 18, 1985.[4] In constant dollars, the highest price paid before 1987 was by the National Gallery of Art when in February 1967 they acquired Leonardo da Vinci's Ginevra de' Benci for around $5 million ($35 million in current dollars) from the Princely Family of Liechtenstein. The sale of Van Gogh's Sunflowers was also significant in that for the first time a "modern" (in this case 1888) painting became the record holder, as opposed to the old master paintings which previously had dominated the market. In contrast, there are currently only six pre-1850 paintings among the top 43 listed.

Van Gogh and Picasso [edit]

Vincent van Gogh and Pablo Picasso are by far the best represented artists in the list. Whereas Picasso became a wealthy man, Van Gogh (supposedly) sold only one painting in his lifetime, The Red Vineyard, for 400 Francs (about $1600 in 2011) to the impressionist painter and heiress Anna Boch.[5] His seven paintings in the list below alone were sold for over 712 million current dollars.

List of highest prices paid at auctions or private sales (inflation adjusted) [edit]

This list is ordered by consumer price index inflation-adjusted value[note 1] (in bold) in millions of September 2013 United States dollars. Where necessary, the price is first converted to dollars using the exchange rate at the time the painting was sold. The inflation adjustment may change as recent inflation rates are often revised. A list in another currency may be in a slightly different order due to exchange rate fluctuations. Paintings are only listed once, i.e. for the highest price sold.

Adjusted Original Rank Auction price (in price (in Painting Image Artist Year Date of sale at Seller Buyer house millions) millions) sale

$259 Paul George Private sale $269.4 The Card Players 1892/93 April 2011 1 State of Qatar +[note 2] Cézanne Embiricos [1][2][3]

Private sale Jackson $162.7 $140 No. 5, 1948 1948 November 2, 2006 1 David Geffen David Martinez via Pollock Sotheby's[6] Private sale Willem de $159.8 $137.5 Woman III 1953 November 18, 2006 2 David Geffen Steven A. Cohen via Larry Kooning Gagosian[7] Pablo $155.9 $155 Le Rêve 1932 March 26, 2013 4 Steve Wynn Steven A. Cohen Private sale[8] Picasso

Private sale Portrait of Adele Gustav Ronald Lauder, $155.8 $135 1907 June 18, 2006 1 Maria Altmann via Bloch-Bauer I Klimt Neue Galerie Christie's[9]

Siegfried Portrait of Dr. Vincent Ryoei Christie's, $149.5 $82.5 1890 May 15, 1990 1 Kramarsky Gachet van Gogh Saito.[note 3] New York family

Elaine Wynn, ex- Three Studies of Francis Christie's, $142.4 $142.4 1969 November 12, 2013 7 wife of Steve Lucian Freud Bacon New York [13] Wynn [12] Pierre- Bal du moulin de Betsey Sotheby's, $141.5 $78.1 Auguste 1876 May 17, 1990 2 Ryoei Saito[note 5] la Galette[note 4] Whitney New York Renoir

Greentree Pablo foundation Sotheby's, $129.0 $104.2 Garçon à la pipe 1905 May 4, 2004 3 Barilla Group?[14] Picasso (Whitney New York[15] family)

The Edvard Sotheby's, $122.2 $119.9 1895 May 2, 2012 8 Petter Olsen Leon Black [16] Scream[note 6] Munch New York

Jean- Private sale, Jasper $118.3 $110.0 Flag[note 7] 1954 March 2010 8 Christophe Steven A. Cohen estimated Johns Castelli price[17] Frances Nude, Green Pablo Christie's, $114.3 $106.5 1932 May 4, 2010 7 Lasker Brody Leaves and Bust Picasso New York[18] estate

Private sale $58 plus Private Museum of via Thomas Portrait of Joseph Vincent $111 ++ exchange of 1889 August 1, 1989 1 collection, Modern Art New Ammann, Roulin van Gogh works[note 8] Zürich York Fine Art Zurich[19]

Dora Maar au Pablo Boris Sotheby's, $110.1 $95.2 1941 May 3, 2006 4 Gidwitz family Chat Picasso Ivanishvili[20] New York[21]

son of Joan Vincent Sotheby's, $109.4 $53.9 Irises 1889 November 11, 1987 1 Whitney Alan Bond[note 9] van Gogh New York Payson

Private sale Andy Annibale $108.1 $100.0 Eight Elvises 1963 October 2008 10 via Philippe Warhol Berlingieri Ségalot[22] $105.7 Barnett Private sale $105.7 Anna's Light 1968 October 4, 2013 16 DIC Corp. (¥10,300) Newman [23][24][25] Silver Car Crash Andy Sotheby's, $105.4 $105.4 1963 November 13, 2013 17 (Double Disaster) Warhol New York [26]

Adele Bloch- Gustav Christie's, $102.1 $87.9 1912 November 2, 2006 9 Maria Altmann Bauer II Klimt New York

Heirs of Portrait de l'artiste Vincent Christie's, $102.1 $71.5 1889 November 19, 1998 5 Jacques sans barbe van Gogh New York Koerfer (de)

Peter $76.7 Massacre of the an Austrian Kenneth Sotheby's, $99.7 Paul 1611 July 10, 2002 6 (£49.5) Innocents family Thomson[note 10] London Rubens

Moueix Family, Francis Roman Sotheby's, $93.3 $86.3 Triptych, 1976 1976 May 14, 2008 13 Château Bacon Abramovich[29] New York[30] Pétrus[28] Private sale Jasper $92.8 $80.0 False Start 1959 October 12, 2006 10 David Geffen Kenneth C. Griffin via Richard Johns Gray [31]

Private sale A Wheatfield with Vincent son of Emil Walter H. $92.6 $57 1889 May 1993 5 via Steven Cypresses van Gogh Georg Bührle Annenberg[note 11] Mazoh

$49.3 Les Noces de Pablo Fredrik Tomonori Binoche et $91.7 1905 November 30, 1989 3 (F300) Pierrette Picasso Roos (sv)[32] Tsurumaki Godeau Paris Pablo Wendell Sotheby's, $90.5 $47.85 Yo, Picasso 1901 May 9, 1989 2 Stavros Niarchos Picasso Cherry (de) New York Private sale Andy $90.1 $80.0 Turquoise Marilyn 1964 May 20, 2007 17 Stefan Edlis Steven A. Cohen via Larry Warhol Gagosian[33]

Portrait of Alfonso d'Avalos, Marquis Private sale AXA insurance $88.8 $70.0 of Vasto, in Titian 1533 November 2003 10 Getty Museum via Hervé company Armor with a Aaron[34][35] Page

Orange, Red, Mark Estate of Christie's, $88.5 $86.9 1961 May 8, 2012 24 Yellow Rothko David Pincus New York[36]

$80.5 Le Bassin aux Claude J. Irwin and Christie's, $86.2 1919 June 24, 2008 20 (£40.9) Nymphéas Monet Xenia S. Miller London[37]

Rideau, Cruchon Paul Whitney Sotheby's, $85.2 $60.5 et 1894 May 10, 1999 9 Cézanne Family New York Compotier[note 12]

daughter-in- $39.7 Vase with Fifteen Vincent Yasuo Goto, Christie's, $82.9 1888 March 30, 1987 1 law of Chester (£24.75) Sunflowers van Gogh Yasuda Comp. London Beatty

White Center David Sheikh Hamad bin (Yellow, Pink and Mark Sotheby's, $82.0 $72.8 1950 May 15, 2007 21 Rockefeller, Khalifa Al- Lavender on Rothko New York[40] Sr. Thani[39] Rose) Green Car Crash Private Andy Christie's, $80.8 $71.7 (Green Burning 1963 May 16, 2007 22 collection, Philip Niarchos Warhol New York[41] Car I) Zürich

National Galleries Diana and 1556– Duke of of Scotland & Private $77.9 $70.6 (£50) Titian February 1, 2009 26 Actaeon 1559 Sutherland National Gallery, sale[42][43][44] London

Donatus, Private sale $75 (€50- Darmstadt Hans Hereditary via Christoph $77.7 1526 July 12, 2011 29 Reinhold Würth 60) [note 13] Madonna Holbein Prince of Graf Hesse Douglas[45]

Thomas Thomas Philadelphia Private $77.0 $68 The Gross Clinic 1875 April 12, 2007 21 Jefferson Eakins Museum of Art sale.[46] University

No 1 (Royal Red Mark John and Sotheby's, $76.0 $75.1 1954 November 13, 2012 33 and Blue) Rothko Anne Marion New York [47] daughter of Pablo Walter H. Sotheby's, $75.7 $40.7 Au Lapin Agile 1904 November 27, 1989 5 Joan Whitney Picasso Annenberg New York Payson heir of Roger $38.5 Acrobate et jeune Pablo Christie's, $75.0 1905 November 28, 1988 3 Janssen? Mitsukoshi (£20.9) [note 14] Picasso London arlequin [note 15]

McCormick Femme aux Bras Pablo Christie's, $74.0 $55.0 1902 November 8, 2000 13 family, Croisés Picasso New York[48] Chicago

Nude Sitting on a Amedeo Halit Sotheby's, $73.8 $69.0 Divan ("La Belle 1917 November 2, 2010 32 Modigliani Cıngıllıoglu[49] New York[50] Romaine")

Private sale Willem de $73.7 $63.5 Police Gazette[51] 1955 October 12, 2006 20 David Geffen Steven A. Cohen via Richard Kooning Gray [31]

National Galleries Diana and 1556– Duke of of Scotland & Private $73.2 $71.7 (£45) Titian March 2, 2012 36 Callisto 1559 Sutherland National Gallery, sale[52] London Private sale Peasant Woman via Against a Vincent Steve $69.3 $47.5 1890 1997 11 Acquavella Background of van Gogh Wynn[note 16] Galleries Inc., Wheat New York[54]

Femme assise Pablo Robert Sotheby's, $69.0 $49.6 1938 November 10, 1999 15 dans un jardin Picasso Saidenberg[55] New York Hunan TV & China $65.5 Eagle Standing Broadcast $67.9 Qi Baishi 1946 May 22, 2011 38 Liu Yiqian Guardian (¥425.5) on Pine Tree[56] Intermediary Auctions Co[57] Phillips de Andy $67.8 $63.4 Men in Her Life 1962 November 8, 2010 37 Jose Mugrabi Pury & Warhol Company[58]

Chauncey Portrait of a Christie's, $66.6 $35.2 Pontormo 1537 May 31, 1989 5 Devereaux Getty Museum Halberdier New York Stillman

Heirs of Suprematist Kazimir Sotheby's, $66.1 $60.0 1916 November 3, 2008 35 Kazimir Composition Malevich New York[59] Malevich

$62.1 Zhichuan Wang Beijing Poly $64.4 1350 June 4, 2011 42 (¥402.5) Resettlement[60] Meng Auction

City and Clyfford Sotheby's, $63.9 $61.7 1949-A-No.1 1949 November 9, 2011 44 County of Still New York[61] Denver

See also [edit]

Cultural Commodification List of most expensive sculptures

Notes [edit]

1. ^ Using the U.S. Department Of Labor's CPI-U table , which represents the U.S. city average for all urban consumers. 2. ^ Exact price (even the currency of sale) is not known, with estimates from $259 million to even $300 million 3. ^ Reportedly, Gachet's portrait was privately resold to a European buyer in 1997 or 1998 for $65-$90 million through Sotheby’s[10][11] 4. ^ This is the small version of the painting; the large version is at Musée d'Orsay. 5. ^ Privately resold for ca. $50 million through Sotheby’s in 1997[11] 6. ^ One of two pastel versions; another two painted versions (and lithography) exist, all created by Munch 7. ^ Most expensive painting by a living artist 8. ^ The paintings transferred to the dealers include a late Monet entitled Corona (Water Lilies) from around 1920; Renoir's Reclining Nude of 1902, Kandinsky's Autumn Landscape, Murnau from 1908, and Picasso's Striped Bodice from September 1943. 9. ^ Alan Bond could not pay off the painting, and Irises was resold (probably for somewhat less) to the Getty Museum. 10. ^ Later in 2002, Thomson donated his private collection, including the Rubens, to the Art Gallery of Ontario[27] 11. ^ Annenberg donated it subsequently to the Metropolitan Museum of Art 12. ^ Steve Wynn, who bid on the painting at auction, privately acquired the work several months later from the unidentified buyer for an undisclosed, supposedly lower price. Kenneth Griffin acquired it in 2004 from Wynn.[38] 13. ^ Usually estimated at "over €50 M" or "between 50 and 60 million Euros". $75M would have been €53M on July 12, 2011. 14. ^ resold for £12m to Stavros Niarchos in 1993 15. ^ A Belgian banker and collector who bought it in 1939 for $18,000. His was the last name on the 1988 provenance list; painting came from "a private collection in Arizona" 16. ^ On Oct. 7, 2005, The New York Times reported that Steven Cohen bought van Gogh's "Peasant Woman Against a Background of Wheat" and Gauguin's "Bathers" (1903) from Steve Wynn for approximately $110 million,[53] though guesses range from $100-150 million. One or both of the paintings may thus occur higher on this list.

References [edit]

1. ^ a b Art Media Agency (AMA), 250 M$, a new record for a painting? , 4 $86.3m Bacon and the $33.6m Freud , The Art Newspaper, 1 June 2008 May 2011 30. ^ Lot description and auction details of "Triptych, 1976" at Sotheby's 2. ^ a b Stefan Koldehoff, Welt-online: Das Rätsel vom teuersten Bild aller website. Zeiten , 31 July 2011 (already mentions Qatar as most likely buyer) 31. ^ a b Carol Vogel, Works by Johns and de Kooning Sell for $143.5 3. ^ a b Peers, Alexandra (January 2012). "Qatar Purchases Cézanne’s The Million , The New york Times, October 12, 2006 Card Players for More Than $250 Million, Highest Price Ever for a Work of 32. ^ Judd Tully, Auction; `Blue' Picasso Breaks Record at $51.7 Million , Art" . QuatarSale. Retrieved 2012-02-03. The Washington Post, Dec 1, 1989 4. ^ William Wilson, Getty Pays $10.5 Million For Painting , New York 33. ^ Carol Vogel, Inside Art: Buying a Warhol 'Marilyn' , New York Times, Times, April 19, 1985 25 May 2007 5. ^ The Red Vineyard Painting at annaboch.com 34. ^ The Getty secures masterpiece portrait by Titian , a November 24, 6. ^ Carol Vogel, A Pollock Is Sold, Possibly for a Record Price , New York 2003 press release by the Getty Museum Times, November 2, 2006 35. ^ Will Bennett, The $70 million soldier , The Daily Telegraph, 23 7. ^ Carol Vogel, Landmark De Kooning Crowns Collection , New York February 2004 Times, November 18, 2006 36. ^ Mark Rothko painting sets post-war auction record , The Daily 8. ^ Carol Vogel & Peter Lattman, $616 Million Poorer, Hedge Fund Owner Telegraph, 9 May 2012 Still Buys Art , New York Times, March 26, 2013 37. ^ Lot description and auction details of "Le bassin aux nymphéas" at 9. ^ Carol Vogel, Lauder Pays $135 Million, a Record, for a Klimt Portrait , Christie's website New York Times, June 19, 2006 38. ^ ARTnews: Cohen Buys Two Works from Wynn in $120M Deal 10. ^ ARTnews: The Most Wanted Works of Art 39. ^ Thornton, Sarah; Adam, Georgina (May 4, 2008). "Revealed: $72.8m 11. ^ a b artnet: the silent boom Rockefeller Rothko has gone to Qatar" . The Art Newspaper 12. ^ Carol Vogel, Buyer of $142.4 Million Bacon Triptych Identified as Elaine 40. ^ Lot description and auction details of "White Center" at Sotheby's Wynn , New York Times, January 15, 2014 website. 13. ^ Vogel, Carol (November 12, 2013). "Bacon's Study of Freud Sells for 41. ^ Lot description and auction details of "Green Car Crash" at Christie's $142.4 Million" . The New York Times (The New York Times Company). website Retrieved November 13, 2013. 42. ^ Farah Nayeri, U.K. Buys Titian Diana Painting for 50 Million Pounds , 14. ^ Claire Foy-Smith, Who buys paintings for $104m? , BBC News Online, Bloomberg, February 2, 2009 6 May 2004 43. ^ Mike Wade, Titian deal paves way for next acquisition , The Sunday 15. ^ Lot description and auction details of "Garçon à la pipe" at Sotheby's Times, 2 February 2009 website. 44. ^ Funds secured for Titian painting , BBC News, 2 February 2009 16. ^ Kelly Crow, An Art Mystery Solved: Mogul Is 'Scream' Buyer , The Wall 45. ^ Greatest German Renaissance Madonna sold by prince , The Art Street Journal, July 11, 2012 Newspaper, July 15, 2011 17. ^ The New York Times Planting a Johns ‘Flag’ in a Private Collection 46. ^ Salisbury, Stephan (November 14, 2006), A divisive deal , The 18. ^ Picasso piece sets record for art sold at auction , Reuters, May 5, Philadelphia Inquirer 2010 47. ^ No. 1 (Royal Red and Blue at Sotheby's 19. ^ Kimmelman, Michael: How the MoMA got the Van Gogh , New York 48. ^ Lot description and auction details of "Femme aux bras croisés" at Times, 09 October 1989. Christie's website 20. ^ Marc Spiegler, he Hunt for the Red Collector , New York Magazine, 22 49. ^ Kelly Crow, Sotheby's Sells $68.9 Million Modigliani , Wall Street August 2006. Journal, November 3, 2010 21. ^ Lot description and auction details of "Dora Maar au Chat" at 50. ^ Nu assis sur un divan auction details at Sotheby's Sotheby's website. 51. ^ "Willem de Kooning" . Twcdc.com. Retrieved 2013-04-30. 22. ^ The Pop master's highs and lows , The Economist, 26 November 52. ^ Pauline McLean BBC Scotland arts correspondent. "Titian masterpiece 2009. Diana and Callisto saved for nation" . Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-03-01. 23. ^ DIC Sells 'Anna's Light' Painting For Y10.3bn Gain 53. ^ sGallery: A Gauguin and a van Gogh Change Hands 24. ^ Barnett Newman "Anna's Light" (Japanese) 54. ^ Carol Vogel, A Gauguin and a van Gogh Change Hands , New York 25. ^ Regarding extraordinary profit associated with the sale of a certain Times, Oct 7, 2005 painting owned by the company and revision of its consolidated operating 55. ^ Carter B. Horsley, The Collection of Eleanore and Daniel Saidenberg result forecast 56. ^ China auction sees Qi Baishi painting sell for $65m 26. ^ Silver Car Crash auction results at Sotheby's 57. ^ The buyer of 422.5 Million Qi Baishi painting revealed 27. ^ Mr. Kenneth Thomson’s gift to the AGO of his art collection -- the most 58. ^ Carol Vogel, Auction Records Fall at Phillips’s Sale of Contemporary significant private art collection in Canada – will add 2,000 outstanding Masters , NY Times, November 10, 2010 works to the Art Gallery of Ontario , archived from the original on 59. ^ Lot description and auction details of "Suprematist Composition" at 2006-10-08, retrieved 2013-09-02 Sotheby's website. 28. ^ Wine Spectator Online: Unfiltered (21 May 2008). "Château Pétrus 60. ^ Wang Meng painting auction for $62 million Makes a Record-Breaking Sale—of Art" . 61. ^ Carol Vogel, As Stocks Fall, Art Surges at a $315.8 Million Sale , NY 29. ^ Cristina Ruiz and Sarah Thornton Roman Abramovich brings home the Times, November 9, 2011

External links [edit]

Top 100 most expensive paintings (French) The Most Expensive Paintings ever sold list by theartwolf The 49 Most Expensive Paintings ever sold visualisation by Jacksonsart

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