10 Most Expensive Paintings Ever Sold

Fortunes have been spent on art since recorded time. This list of the 10 most expensive paintings ever sold shows you the greatest sales of the late 20^th Century. This isn't to say that the famous paintings here are necessarily the most expensive paintings in the world. There are masterpieces that didn't come on the market whose value is far greater. The Guinness Book of Records sites the "Mona Lisa" as the most expensive painting in the world, valued at $100 Million US Dollars in 1962, which, if you allow for inflation, corresponds to over $670 Million US Dollars today.

#1. Jackson Pollock, "Number 5"

When Jackson Pollock's canvas of drips titled, Number 5, sold for $140 Million Dollars in 2006 it became the most expensive painting ever sold, and it still holds that record. The painting was sold privately and the price and buyer's name were kept confidential. However, it is believed the figure of $140 Million Dollars is accurate.

#2. Willem de Kooning, "Woman III"

Many consider this famous painting to be the ugliest most expensive painting ever sold. The buyer, Steven Cohen, paid the astonishing sum of $137.5 Million US Dollars.

#3. Gustav Klimt, "Adele Bloch-Bauer I"

In addition to being one of the most expensive paintings ever sold, this painting holds another distinction-a chilling history. While its owners were sent to German concentration camps, the painting and the mansion in which it hung were confiscated by the Nazis during WWII. For many years, the painting remained in the National Gallery of Austria, before it was finally returned to the descendants of the Block-Bauers. Sold in 2006 to Ronald Lauder, the painting fetched the breathtaking sum of $135 Million US Dollars.

#4. Pablo Picasso, "Nude, Green Leaves and Bust"

This is the most expensive painting ever sold at auction (as apart from a private sale). Painted in 1932, the famous painting remained in private hands and was never displayed publically since 1961. In 2010 an anonymous buyer paid $106.5 Million US Dollars for the privilege of owning this painting.

#5. Pablo Picasso, "Garcon a la Pipe"

In its day, this was the most expensive painting ever sold at auction and the first to break the $100 Million Dollar level. It was sold to an anonymous buyer in 2004 for the sum of $104.1 Million US Dollars.

#6. Pablo Picasso, "Dora Maar au Chat"

Of the most famous expensive paintings discussed up to now, this one was a painting discovered in recent years and authenticated by Picasso's daughter. The famous painting features one of Picasso's favorite models, Dora Maar. The painting sold in 2006 to an anonymous buyer for the sum of $95.2 Million US Dollars.

#7. Titian, "Diana and Actaeon"

Painted between 1556 and 1559, this is the most expensive painting ever sold that is not a piece of modern art. Sold in 2009 to the government of the United Kingdom, the stunning painting came from the private collection of the Duke of Sutherland and sold for $91 Million Dollars.

#8. Gustav Klimt, "Adele Bloch-Bauer II"

A sister painting to the first Adele canvas, this is the second most expensive painting ever sold of Klimt's work. The painting was sold for $87.9 Million US Dollars to an anonymous buyer. At the same auction, three other works by Klimt were sold, all four totaling $192 Million US Dollars.

#9.Francis Bacon, "Tryptich 1976"

Not to be mistaken for the historical figure, Francis Bacon is a 20^th Century Irish figurative painter. The famous painting is made up of three canvases which were sold in 2008 to a private European collector for the sum of $86.3 Million US Dollars.

#10. Vincent van Gogh, "Portrait of Doctor Gachet"

Of Van Gogh's work, this is the most expensive painting ever sold. During the early 1990's the art world saw a boom of high-value sales to Japanese collectors, with this Van Gogh selling for $82.50 Million US Dollars. This famous painting was sold to Ryoei Saito who was later ruined financially. The painting has been lost since, though it is rumored to be hidden in Europe.

To see these paintings for yourself, visit the Art Wolf Gallery.

Reference:

Most Interesting Facts: Top 10 Most Expensive Paintings in the World Ever Sold

The Art Wolf: The Most Expensive Paintings Ever Sold