.jpg)
The 10 most expensive paintings ever sold are unique pieces of art continue to amaze us for the emotions they provoke. This is a fine-art list specially made for all art lovers out there.
The Card Players by Paul Cézanne, 1892/93
Seen as a masterpiece of post-impressionist art, The Card Players by Paul Cézanne amazes for the psychological intensity in the faces of the painters. The Card Players is a series of five oil paintings which Cezanne painted during his final years, a period during which he painted most of his acclaimed work. This is the last version still in private hands. It was sold in 2011 to the royal family of Qatar for $ 250 million.
Le Rêve by Pablo Picasso, 1932
This painting has just been sold in a private sale for $ 155 million. This is one of Picasso’s most sensual and famous paintings. The subject is his lover Marie-Therese Walter sitting in an armchair with her eyes closed. It belongs to Picasso’s period of distorted depictions, with its oversimplified outlines and contrasted colors resembling early Fauvism. It is said to have been painted in one afternoon, on 24 January 1932.
Number 5 by Jackson Pollock, 1948
This is the most expensive contemporary painting ever sold. The painting was done with thick amounts of brown and yellow paint drizzled on top of it, forming a nest-like appearance. It was painted in 1948 by Jackson Pollock, known for his contributions to the abstract expressionist movement. Number 5 was sold in 2006 in a Private sale, for $140 million.
Woman III by Willem de Kooning, 1952-53
Woman III is part of a series of six paintings dedicated to women the abstract expressionist artist Willem de Kooning painted in the 1950’s. It was sold in 2006 for $137.5 million, also in a private sale.
Adele Bloch-Bauer I by Gustav Klimt, 1907
Klimt took three years to complete the painting. It is made of oil and gold on canvas, showing elaborate and complex ornamentation. The picture was painted in Vienna and commissioned by Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer. He sponsored the arts and favored and supported Gustav Klimt. Adele Bloch-Bauer became the only model who was painted twice by Klimt when he completed a second picture of her, Adele Bloch-Bauer II, in 1912.This painting was sold in 2006 in a private sale for $ 135 million.
“The Scream” by Edward Munch, 1895
This icon of modern art, known for its intensity, is part of a composition of four paintings, all of which show a figure with an agonized expression against a landscape with a tumultuous orange sky. It is the most expensive painting ever sold at auction (Sotheby’s New York , May 2012, for $119.9 million).
Flag by Jasper Johns, 1958
Flag is Jasper Johns most famous work. The contemporary artist painted it in 1954–55, after having a dream of the American flag. It was sold in 2010 in a private sale for $110 million .
Nude, Green Leaves and Bust by Pablo Picasso, 1932
Another painting by Pablo Picasso on this list. Again, the subject is his mistress and muse Marie-Thérèse Walter. The erotic, vibrant blue and lilac canvas is the most expensive work by Picasso ever sold at auction (Christie’s New York , May 2010, $106.5 million).
SEE ALSO: THE MOST EXPENSIVE HOUSES IN THE US
“Garçon a la pipe” by Pablo Picasso, 1904
This artwork was painted in 1905 when Picasso was 24 years old. The oil on canvas painting depicts a Parisian boy holding a pipe in his left hand and wearing a garland or wreath of flowers. It was sold in 2004 by Sotheby’s New York and broke the record that Vincent van Gogh held since 1990. It was the first time that the $100 million barrier was broken.
Eight Elvises by Andy Warhol, 1963
This is a 1963 silkscreen painting by American pop artist Andy Warhol of Elvis Presley, measuring over 12 feet long. It was sold for 100 million in a private sale and surpassed the previous world record for a work by Warhol, the $71.7 million paid at Christie’s New York in 2007 for “Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car I)”.
