The 10 Most Expensive Paintings in the World

Berfin Ceren Meray
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Are you curious about the world of high-end art collecting and the most expensive paintings ever sold? We've got you covered! In this article, we've compiled a list of the most expensive paintings in the world and delved into what makes these works so special and valuable. From their historical significance to their artistic merit and rarity, there are many factors that contribute to their astronomical prices. So, if you're interested in learning more about the fascinating world of art collecting, read on for all the details.

1. The most expensive painting ever sold is Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi…

The work was sold to Saudi Prince Badr bin Abdullah Al Saud for $ 450.5 million at a Christie's auction held in New York in 2016. What makes the painting so valuable in a material sense is the controversial origin of the work.

Some experts claim that the painting was actually made by his assistant Bernardino Luini, not by Leonardo da Vinci.

If these allegations are true, the painting will be worth much less than the sale price of about half a billion dollars…

2. The second most expensive painting sold is the Interchange painting by Dutch-American painter Willem de Kooning.

The painting, which has an important place in the abstract expressionism movement, was purchased by Kenneth C Griffin, LLC's founder, CEO, co-investment officer and 80 percent owner, for $300 million in 2015.

3. Paul Cézanne's painting The Card Players

The work was sold to the Qatari Royal Family in 2011 for $ 250 million. Also, no painting had surpassed this record price until November 2017.

4. Paul Gauguin's Nafea Faa Ipoipo

‘Nafea faa ipoipo?’ is an 1892 oil painting by the French post-impressionist painter Paul Gauguin.

The work, which has been in the Kunstmuseum in Basel, Switzerland for almost half a century, was sold privately to Sheikh Al-Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani for $ 210 million in February 2015 by the family of Rudolf Staechelin, a Swiss businessman and art collector.

5. Jackson Pollock's painting Number 17A

The work, an abstract expressionist painting by Jackson Pollock, was sold from David Geffen to Kenneth C Griffin for $200 million in September 2015. Griffin is also the founder of LLC and the owner of the second high-end table on the list.

6. Mark Rothko's painting No.6 (Violet, Green, and Red)

The work belongs to the Latvian-American abstract expressionist artist Mark Rothko. This work, made in 1951, became one of the most expensive paintings sold at auctions in 2014.

The work was sold privately by Dmitry Rybolovlev for $ 186 million. Rybolovlev is thought to have bought the painting through Swiss dealer Bouvier. In addition, according to allegations, Bouvier had bought the painting from Paiker H.B. for 80 million euros…

7. Gustav Klimt's Water Serpents II painting

The famous painting, also known as Wasserschlangen II, was made by Gustav Klimt in 1907. The painting is seen as a sequel to Water Serpents I. Just like the previous painting, this painting also deals with the female body and homosexuality.

In addition, the work also has a very important history. The painting was stolen by the Nazis during the World War II…

In 2015, the painting was sold by Rybolovlev to an unnamed buyer for $ 183.3 million. Many people claimed that the painting was in the private collection of the Princess of Qatar. The work was exhibited at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam as part of the ‘Golden Boy - Gustav Klimt’ exhibition as of October last year.

8. Portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit by Rembrandt van Rijn

Formerly owned by the Rothschild family, this work ranks eighth on our list with a price of $ 180 million.

In addition, the work became the joint property of the Louvre Museum and the Rijksmuseum in 2015.

9. Pablo Picasso's Les Femmes d'Alger (“Version O”) painting

This work belongs to a series of 15 paintings and numerous drawings by the Spanish painter Pablo Picasso.

The entire Les Femmes d'Alger series was purchased by Victor and Sally Ganz in June 1956 from Galerie Louise Leiris in Paris for $ 212,500.

The ten paintings in the series were again sold by the Ganz's to the Saidenberg Gallery, and the couple decided to keep the "C", "H", "K", "M" and "O" versions for themselves.

Many of the individual paintings in the series are now in leading public institutions and private collections.

But let's get to 'Version O'…

The work was sold for $31.9 million at Christie's in New York in November 1997 as part of the Ganz collection.

Three other versions of the series owned by the Ganz family were also offered for auction at the same time.

Subsequently, 'Version O' was sold by Libby Howie, a British art dealer, to a Saudi Arabian collector who lives in London and whose identity has not been disclosed.

Finally, the work was auctioned for the second time at Christie's New York in May 2015 and found a buyer for it at a record price of $ 179.3 million…

'Version O' was purchased by former Qatari prime minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani.

10. And finally, Rembrandt's The Standard Bearer

The work is a three-quarters-length self-portrait by Rembrandt, previously in the Paris collection of Elie de Rothschild and purchased by the Rijksmuseum for 175 million euros in 2021 with the help of the Dutch state and Vereniging Rembrandt.

Taking into account inflation rates, the value of this famous work of art had increased to $ 198 million in 2022.