Top 10 Most Expensive Painting in the World, Check List

Most Expensive Paintings: Art is not only about beauty but also about money and history. Some paintings are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Collectors, museums, and even countries compete to buy them. Here are the top 10 most expensive paintings in the world and why they are so valuable.

Top 10 most expensive paintings:

1. Salvator Mundi – Leonardo da Vinci ($450.3 Million)

Salvator Mundi is the most expensive painting in the world. It was sold at Christie’s auction in New York in 2017 for $450.3 million. Painted by Leonardo da Vinci, it shows Jesus holding a crystal orb. This rare artwork was lost for years, then restored and sold to a Saudi buyer.

2. Interchange – Willem de Kooning (~$300 Million)

Interchange by Willem de Kooning was sold in 2015 in a private deal for around $300 million. It is one of the most expensive abstract paintings in history. Bought by billionaire Kenneth Griffin, it shows bold brushstrokes and bright colors that changed modern art forever.

3. The Card Players – Paul Cézanne ($250 Million)

Paul Cézanne’s The Card Players was sold privately to Qatar in 2011 for about $250 million. The painting shows men playing cards and is considered a masterpiece of modern art. Cézanne’s work influenced artists like Picasso and Matisse.

4. When Will You Marry? – Paul Gauguin ($210 Million)

Also called Nafea Faa Ipoipo, this Paul Gauguin painting was sold in 2015 for $210 million. It shows two Tahitian women and is full of bright colors. This work reflects Gauguin’s time in Tahiti and is now one of the costliest artworks ever sold.

5. Number 17A – Jackson Pollock ($200 Million)

Jackson Pollock’s Number 17A was sold in 2015 for about $200 million. His drip painting style made him a legend of abstract expressionism. This painting is an important piece of 20th century art and one of the highest-priced paintings ever sold.

6. Wasserschlangen II – Gustav Klimt ($183.8 Million)

Gustav Klimt’s Wasserschlangen II (Water Serpents II) was sold privately for $183.8 million. Painted around 1904, it shows two women in a golden, dreamlike style. Klimt’s paintings are rare, which makes them very expensive artworks.

7. Nu couché – Amedeo Modigliani ($157.2 Million)

This painting by Amedeo Modigliani was sold in 2018 at Sotheby’s for $157.2 million. It shows a reclining nude woman and is one of the most famous Modigliani nude paintings. His works are scarce, which makes them highly valued by collectors.

8. Les Poseuses – Georges Seurat ($149.2 Million)

Georges Seurat’s Les Poseuses, Ensemble (Petite version) was sold at Christie’s in 2022 for $149.2 million. It uses Seurat’s pointillism style, where small dots of color create a full image. This scientific art style made Seurat famous and valuable.

9. Three Studies of Lucian Freud – Francis Bacon ($142.4 Million)

Francis Bacon’s Three Studies of Lucian Freud was sold in 2013 for $142.4 million at Christie’s. The triptych shows the artist Lucian Freud in three different views. It is one of the most expensive Francis Bacon paintings ever sold.

10. Garçon à la pipe – Pablo Picasso ($104.2 Million)

Garçon à la pipe by Pablo Picasso was sold at Sotheby’s in 2004 for $104.2 million. It shows a young boy with a garland of flowers. This was the first painting to cross $100 million at auction, making it historic.

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