How much is a great, timeless painting worth? Exactly what someone is willing to pay for it. We assembled a list of the 30 most expensive paintings ever made, based not on estimated values, but on the price people were willing to pay through auctions and private sales for the depicted paintings. Pablo Picasso features five times on the list, more than anyone else.
30. La Montagne Saint-Victorie vue du bosquet du Chaeau Noir, Paul Cezanne: One of two Cezanne paintings on this list, ‘Saint-Victorie’ (let’s keep things shot) was sold for $100 million in 2013 to the state of Qatar by Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, which comes to $103 million when adjusted for inflation.
29. Adele Bloch-Bauer II, Gustav Klimt: This 1912 painting by Klimt is one of two paintings by him on the list. It was sold in 2006 by Maria Altmann to an unknown buyer for $87.9 million, coming to $104.5 million when adjusted for inflation. The lady in the portrait was a close friend of Klimt’s.
28. Portrait de l’artiste sans barbe, Vincent Van Gogh: One of four Van Gogh paintings on this list, it’s also probably his most famous self portrait. This 1889 painting was sold for $71.5 million in 1998 to a private buyer, which comes to $105.1 million when adjusted for inflation.
27. Silver Car Crash, Andy Warhol:This serigraph by Warhol from 1963 was possibly sold to the state of Qatar in 2013 for $105.4 million, which comes to $108.4 million when adjusted for inflation. The price was about $30 million higher than it was expected to fetch.
26. Anna’s Light, Barnett Newman: This 1968 painting by Newman was named after his mother, who died 3 years earlier. It was sold by the DIC corp to a private collector in 2013 for $105.7 million, which is about $109 million when adjusted for inflation.
25. Eight Elvises, Andy Warhol: The most expensive Warhol painting ever sold, Eight Elvises was made in 1963. It was sold in 2008 to the state of Qatar for a price of $100 million, which comes to $111.2 million in today’s money.
24. Dora Maar au Chat, Pablo Picasso: This 1941 painting by Picasso of his lover Dora Maar was sold in 2006 for $95.2 million, exchanging owners between the Gidwitz family and Boris Ivanishvili. When adjusted for inflation it comes down to $113.1 million.
23. Irises, Vincent van Gogh: One of van Gogh’s most famous paintings, it dates back to May 1889. It was sold in 1987 by the Payson family to Alan Bond for $53.9 million, which is $113.6 million by today’s money.
22. Portrait of Joseph Roulin, Vincent van Gogh: Our 3rd van Gogh on the list. This one is from 1889. It was sold 100 years later by a private collection in Switzerland to the Museum of Modern Art in New York for $58 million, which is $115.9 million when adjusted for inflation.
21. Nude, Green Leaves and Bust, Pablo Picasso: This 1932 painting by Picasso featured his mistress Marie-Therese Walter. It was sold in 2010 by the Frances Lancer Brody estate to Leonard Blavatnik for $106.5 million. When adjusted for inflation it’s $116.9 million.
20. Flag, Jasper Johns: Johns’ most famous work inspired by his dream of the American flag, it was sold in 2010 for $110 million, which is $120.8 million when adjusted for inflation. Johns was 24 when he created this painting.
19. Reclining Nude with Blue Cushion, Amedeo Modigliani: This painting from 1917 was sold in 2012 by Steven A. Cohen to Dmitry Rybolovlev for $118 million, which comes to $123 million when adjusted for inflation.
18. The Scream, Edvard Munch: One of the most famous paintings ever, Munch’s scream was created in 1895. In 2012, it was sold by Petter Olsen to Leon Black for $119.9 million, which comes to $125.1 million after inflation. There are a number of ‘Scream’ paintings by Munch. This was one of the pastel versions.
17. Salvator Mundi, Probably Leonardo da Vinci: The painting of Christ as the Savior of the World is attributed to da Vinci. It was made somewhere between 1490 and 1519. In 2013 it was sold to Rybolovlev for $127.5 million, which comes to $131.1 million after inflation.
16. Garcon a la Pipe, Pablo Picasso: This 1905 Picasso painting is from his Rose period, portraying a Parisian boy. It was sold in 2004 to the Barilla group for $104.2 million, which is $134.2 million when adjusted for inflation.
15. Bal du moulin de la Galette, Pierre-Auguste Renoir: Perhaps an impressionist’s most celebrated masterpiece, this 1876 painting by Renoir was sold in 1990 for $78.1 million, which comes to $143.2 million after adjusting for inflation.
14. Three Studies of Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon: Art depicting art, which in this case resulted in a historic painting. Bacon’s 1969 creation was sold in 2013 to the ex-wife of Steve Wynn for $142.4 million, which is $146.4 million when adjusted for inflation.
13. Portrait of Dr. Gachet, Vincent van Gogh: A depiction of the doctor who took care of van Gogh during the final months of his life in 1890, it was sold in 1990 to Ryoei Saito for $82.5 million, which is $151.2 million when adjusted for inflation.
12. Le Reve, Pablo Picasso: This 1932 painting by Picasso is another one of his mistress Walter. It was sold in 2013 by Steve Wynn to Steven A. Cohen for $155 million, which is $159 million when adjusted for inflation.
11. Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, Gustav Klimt: The second Klimt painting on our list, only with the same subject. This portrait from 1907 was sold in 2006 for $135 million by Maria Altmann to Ronald Lauder and the Neue Galerie. When adjusted for inflation it comes to $160.4 million.
10. Woman III, Willem de Kooning: One of de Kooning’s six paintings from the early 50’s focusing on a woman, it was sold by David Geffen to Steven A. Cohen for $137.5 million in 2006. It comes to $163.4 million when adjusted for inflation.
9. No.5, 1948, Jackson Pollock: One of my favorite Stone Roses songs, going down, makes a reference to this painting by Pollock. His 1948 masterpiece was sold for $140 million by Geffen to David Martinez, which is $166.3 million when adjusted for inflation.
8. Nu Couche, Amedeo Modigliani: Modigliani loved painting ladies in the nude. This one from 1917-18 was sold to Liu Yiqian in 2015 for $170.4 million, which comes to $172.2 million after inflation.
7. Les Femmes d’Alger (Version O), Pablo Picasso: The final painting in a series of 15, it was sold to Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani in 2015 for $179.4 million, which is $181.2 million when adjusted for inflation.
6. Pendant Portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit, Rembrandt: A pair of portraits by Rembrandt which were sold together for $180 million by the Rothschild family to a joint purchase by the Louvre and the Rijksmuseum. It comes to $182 when adjusted for inflation.
5. No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red), Mark Rothko: This 1951 painting by Rothko was sold by Cherise Moueix to Rybolovlev for $186 million in 2014, which is around $188 million when adjusted for inflation.
4. Number 17A, Jackson Pollock: Pollock’s most expensive painting comes from 1948 as well. It was sold by the David Geffen foundation for $200 million to Kenneth C.Griffin. It is around $202 million in adjusted inflation.
3. The Card Players, Paul Cezanne: Part of a five-painting series by Cezanne from 1892-1893, it has a number of versions. One of them was sold to Qatar in 2011 for $259 million, which is an estimated $276 million when adjusted for inflation.
2. When Will You Marry?, Paul Gauguin: The painting is from 1892, a year after Gauguin first arrived in Tahiti. It was sold by the Rudolf Staechelin family to Qatar for $300 million in 2015, which is around $303 million when adjusted for inflation.
1. Interchange, Willem de Kooning: This 1955 painting by de Kooning is the most expensive painting ever sold, going from the Geffen foundation to Kenneth C.Griffin for over $300 million in 2015, which is now $304 million when adjusted for inflation, or more.
