As the art world continues to evolve, a growing number of people are beginning to see paintings as more than just an expression of culture or history; it is also an investment. Here are 10 of the most expensive artistic pictures in the world:
Nafea Faa Ipoipo?, which translates to “when will you marry?” was painted by Gaugin after his first trip to Tahiti and is considered an important bridge between Impressionism and Post-Impressionism.
1. Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci
A true Renaissance master, Leonardo da Vinci's work continues to hold a commanding presence in the art world. But perhaps none of his paintings have captivated the world like the Salvator Mundi, which has been estimated to be worth over $1 billion.
The painting depicts Jesus Christ with one hand raised in blessing and the other holding a crystal orb. It was painted around 1500 and originally commissioned by Louis XII of France, then later acquired by Charles I of England in 1625. It would go missing for almost 150 years, when it reappeared at an auction in 1958, attributed to one of Leonardo's assistants and sold for less than $90,000.
It made headlines in 2017 when Christie's auctioned it for $450 million to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the highest price ever paid for an artwork.
2. Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer
Gustav Klimt was a Viennese artist who created a unique style of art with his use of gold and other design elements. He often painted portraits of wealthy Austrian businessmen and their wives. This portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer exemplifies the artist’s symbolic style and use of shapes. It was first commissioned in 1903 but was only completed in 1907. The painting features the wife of sugar magnate Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer as she is surrounded by golden detail and her opulent robe. She appears fragile in this opulent field of gold and her face is a delicate mix of symbols and geometric shapes.
It was seized by the Nazis during World War II but was eventually returned to her family in 2006. The portrait is now at the Neue Galerie in New York. This painting is revolutionary for both its timeless beauty and provenance story.
3. Portrait of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coopit by Rembrandt
A pair of portraits painted by the Old Master Rembrandt in 1634, this work depicts Marten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit. This portrait duo is considered a masterpiece due to its attention to detail, use of light and shadow, and expertly blended brush strokes.
The paintings have been kept together since they were created and are displayed at the Louvre in France and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
The fifth most expensive artistic picture is Woman III, which was created by the New York-based painter Willem de Kooning. This expressionist masterpiece is a typical oil on canvas and is characteristic of his oeuvre. The painting is valued at over $140 million. It is also considered one of the most important pieces of female art in history. It explores many Freudian themes and is a testament to the artist’s skills.
4. Untitled by Jean-Michel Basquiat
With a skull-like figure draped in a frenzy of logo-like repeatable icons, Untitled demonstrates Basquiat’s ability to take the mercurial energy of his youth and distill it into a painterly blaze. It sold for $110.5 million to a Japanese billionaire last year and was recently on view at the Brooklyn Museum as part of a single-painting solo show.
Jackson Pollock’s Number 17A is another work that has topped the list of most expensive artistic pictures. Purchased by Kenneth C. Griffin in 2015 for $300 million, making it one of the most expensive pieces ever sold. It is now at the Art Institute of Chicago.
5. Reclining by Amedeo Modigliani
The fifth spot on our list goes to a piece of contemporary art that is also considered one of the most expensive. Shot Sage Blue Marilyn is a silkscreen painting of a headshot of the actress and is considered to be one of Andy Warhol’s most iconic artworks. The painting was sold in 2017 for $179 million to casino tycoon Steve A Cohen.
One of Modigliani’s most popular paintings, Reclining Nude With Blue Cushion is a depiction of a woman lying down on a red sofa. The work is a typical expressionist painting from the artist’s Woman series and was created in 1917. The painting was once owned by David Geffen, who along with Jackson Pollock’s Number 17A sold it to hedge fund manager Kenneth C Griffin in 2015.
6. Portrait of Lucian Freud by Francis Bacon
The tumultuous relationship between the two artists, and Bacon’s infamously lavish generosity, imbue this work with extra emotional weight. This life-size triptych depicts Bacon’s friend and renowned portraitist Lucian Freud sitting uneasily on a hard bench, his signature groping hand reaching towards his face.
The painting was completed in 1969 and exhibited as part of a triptych in Stockholm and Hamburg, but the pair’s friendship came to an end shortly afterward. When it was sold in 2013, the picture smashed estimates and became the most expensive single-panel painting ever sold at auction. It remains one of the most valuable artistic pictures in the world today. The painting is owned by American billionaire Elaine Wynn.
7. The Scream by Vincent van Gogh
While many beautiful works of art reside in famous museums or private collections, some can be purchased for astronomical sums. Year after year, auction houses and private galleries see record-breaking sales for paintings from both Old Masters such as Leonardo da Vinci and 20th century luminaries like Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock.
Salvator Mundi (Saviour of the World) by Leonardo da Vinci has become the most expensive painting in the world, despite some doubts regarding its authenticity and mysterious origins. The painting depicts Christ signalling a cross with one hand and holding an orb in the other.
Nafea Faa Ipoipo?, or When Will You Marry? It is a famous painting by Paul Gauguin. The work is a juxtaposition of western values and free-spirited Tahiti. It features a native woman donning a flower in her hair which, in Tahitian culture, indicates she is ready for marriage.
8. The Lady in Gold by Gustav Klimt
In the art world, it’s not unusual for paintings to have a value of more than a billion dollars. But what makes these artistic pictures so special?
This masterpiece is a painting of a woman by Gustav Klimt. The painting depicts her in a gold-leafed dress and is one of the most expensive paintings in the world today.
The portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, painted in 1907, reflects the Viennese Belle Epoque culture and her Jewish heritage with exotic motifs and intricate ornamentation. The painting was a symbol of hedonistic luxury and became the emblem of a reborn Austrian nation. It was sold in 2006 to cosmetics heir Ronald Lauder and is permanently on display at the Neue Galerie.
The Women III by Willem de Kooning is an example of abstract expressionism. The artwork is characterized by its powerful energy and bold brushstrokes. It also explores Freudian themes and is one of the most expensive paintings in private hands.
9. The painting “The Persistence of Memory” by Salvador Dali
Salvador Dali’s The Persistence of Memory features a dreamlike landscape of bare trees, water, and a strange distorted object. But the most recognizable element in this surreal painting are the melting clocks.
Dali’s melting timepieces are considered to be symbolic of the distortion of space and time—an idea that may have been inspired by his Freudian fascination with dreams or Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. But the eccentric Spanish artist never analyzed his own work, and instead left it to interpretation.
In fact, Dali revisited his melting clock motif in many of his paintings and sculptures throughout his career. His version of Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, in honor of Marilyn Monroe, even incorporated a clock-like shape. The landscape in The Persistence of Memory is likely a reference to Dali’s native Catalonia, particularly the craggy mountains surrounding his family’s summer home.
10. Portrait of a Young Girl with a Flower Basket by Pablo Picasso
Known as the Mona Lisa in North America, this enigmatic painting by Leonardo da Vinci is viewed by around 30,000 people each day and has been reproduced on posters, postcards and even tea towels. It also has the highest insurance valuation of any painting in the world.
Picasso's painting of a street flower seller is actually based on a pen and ink drawing from a sketchbook the artist used for 1905-1906. It was later renamed Fillette a la Corbeille fleurie.
Jackson Pollock's drip and splash painting demonstrates his all-over approach to painting. It was sold in 2015 by American billionaire David Geffen to New York art collector Kenneth C Griffin. The painting consists of a nest-like tangle of browns, yellows and greys that express different emotions. It is a fine example of his style called Action Painting.
