World’s 5 Most Expensive Paintings

1. Salvator Mundi By Leonardo Da Vinci

It was originally estimated to cost $100 million, but it ended up costing around $1 million, and Christie’s auctioned off an absolute record in November 2017: $450.3 million. This painting, purchased by a private collector and one of Leonardo da Vinci’s first works, has long been debated due to the mystery surrounding it.

2. Painting “When Are You Getting Married?” by Paul Gauguin and Interchange by Willem Kooning

When are you getting married (or Nafea Faa Ipoipo)? Paul Gauguin painted in Tahitian in French Polynesia in 1892, while Willem Kooning, a well-known leader of abstract expressionism, was produced in 1955 as Interchange. These two paintings are tied for second place because they were both sold privately for $300 million.

3. The Card Players Of Paul Cézanne

This canvas was the subject of several variations. The original composition featured four characters, but Paul Cézanne gradually reduced the number to a more dark background that emphasised only two figures. The Qatar Royal Family paid $ 250 million for the Card Players in the Musée d’Orsay, the Courtauld in London, the MET in New York, the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, and one from Greek shipowner Georges Embirico.

4. Number 17A by Jackson Pollock

Jackson Pollock, considered the father of abstract expressionism, is best known for his dripping technique, which he employed from 1947 to 1950. An innovative process is shown here, which was acquired by KenGriffin during a private sale in 2016, at the initiative of producer David Geffen, at the same time as Willem Kooning’s Interchange (60 th fortune in the world according to Forbes and director of Dreamworks studios).

5. N ° 6 (Violet, Green And Red) By Mark Rothko

This painting, created by Mark Rothko in 1951, was purchased for $186 million in 2014 by Russian businessman Dmitry Rybolovlev. It is also one of the works in the “Bouvier” case, in which Dmitry Rybolovlev is suing Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier for fraud.