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Art Guide · Auction Records
The Most Expensive Paintings Ever Sold
The world’s most valuable paintings, and the stories behind their record-breaking prices, from Renaissance legends to modern icons.
01
Sold 2017 · $450.3 Million
Salvator Mundi
View This Reproduction›Artist: Leonardo da Vinci
c. 1500Painted
$450.3MSale Price
2017Sold
A rare depiction of Christ as “Savior of the World,” holding a crystal orb and offering a blessing. One of fewer than 15 paintings definitively attributed to da Vinci.
Why It’s So Expensive
- Attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, one of the rarest names in art
- Massive media attention and controversy
- Unique religious subject
Interesting Facts
- Sold for less than $10,000 in the 1950s
- Its current location is still uncertain
- Some experts dispute its attribution
02
Sold 2015 · ~$300 Million
Interchange
Artist: Willem de Kooning
1955Painted
~$300MSale Price
2015Sold
A landmark of Abstract Expressionism, swirling, energetic brushstrokes of fragmented figures that defined American modern art.
Why It’s So Expensive
- Key work in Abstract Expressionism
- Historical importance in modern art
- Private sale between elite collectors
Interesting Facts
- Sold in a private deal, not at auction
- Represents a transition in de Kooning’s career
03
Sold 2015 · ~$300 Million
When Do You Merry
View This Reproduction›Artist: Paul Gauguin
1892Painted
~$300MSale Price
2015Sold
Painted during Gauguin’s first stay in Tahiti, depicting two women in a lush tropical landscape. One of the most iconic images of Post-Impressionism.
Why It’s So Expensive
- Exotic subject and historical importance
- Rare Gauguin masterpiece
- Strong collector demand
Interesting Facts
- Title is in Tahitian language
- Depicts two women in a symbolic composition
04
Sold 2011 · ~$250 Million
The Card Players
Artist: Paul Cézanne
1890Painted
~$250MSale Price
2011Sold
One of five versions of the same subject, showing peasants playing cards.
Why It’s So Expensive
- Extremely rare series
- Cézanne’s influence on modern art
- Purchased by Qatar’s royal family
Interesting Facts
- There are only five versions
- Considered a bridge between classic and modern art
05
Sold 2011 · ~$236 Million
Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer
View This Reproduction›Artist: Gustav Klimt
1914–16Painted
~$236MSale Price
2011Sold
A monumental full-length portrait of a young Viennese woman depicted in an imperial dragon robe, blending Secessionist elegance with East Asian influence.
Why It’s So Expensive
- One of very few full-length Klimt portraits remaining in private hands
- Rare fusion of Viennese Secession style with East Asian motifs
- Tied to the Lederer family’s storied, and long-contested, art collection
Interesting Facts
- The Lederer family’s major Klimt collection was seized during WWII
- Its ownership history spans decades of restitution efforts
06
Sold 2015 · ~$200 Million
Number 17A
Artist: Jackson Pollock
1948Painted
~$200MSale Price
2015Sold
A classic drip painting representing Pollock’s revolutionary technique.
Why It’s So Expensive
- Unique painting style
- Major figure in American art
- Highly recognizable technique
Interesting Facts
- Created using dripping paint technique
- Changed how people perceive painting
07
Sold 2022 · ~$195 Million
Shot Sage Blue Marilyn
Artist: Andy Warhol
1964Painted
~$195MSale Price
2022Sold
One of five silkscreen Marilyns Warhol made after Monroe’s death, based on a “Niagara” publicity photo. The sage blue version is the crown jewel of the series.
Why It’s So Expensive
- Monroe’s eternal pop culture status gives it near-mythological value
- The bullet-hole backstory made the entire series world-famous
Interesting Facts
- Performance artist Dorothy Podber literally shot a gun through this canvas; Warhol said nothing
- Sale proceeds benefited children’s charities run by Swiss dealers Thomas and Doris Ammann
08
Sold 2022 · ~$198 Million
The Standard Bearer
View This Reproduction›Artist: Rembrandt van Rijn
1636Painted
~$198MSale Price
2022Sold
A striking depiction of a soldier holding a silk flag, painted at the peak of Rembrandt’s powers. Considered one of the finest examples of the Dutch Golden Age.
Why It’s So Expensive
- A Rembrandt of this quality virtually never comes to market
- The French government bought it specifically to keep it in the Louvre forever
Interesting Facts
- France used public funds to buy it, a rare act of national cultural preservation
- Rembrandt painted it at just 30 years old, at the height of his creative peak
09
Sold 2015 · ~$179 Million
Les Femmes d’Alger
Artist: Pablo Picasso
1955Painted
~$179MSale Price
2015Sold
The final and largest of Picasso’s 15-painting series, a Cubist explosion of odalisques painted as a tribute to Delacroix and his late rival Matisse.
Why It’s So Expensive
- “Version O” is the largest and most important canvas in the 15-part series
- Picasso dominates the top auction records more than any other artist
Interesting Facts
- The entire 15-painting series was bought in one transaction by a single collector in 1956
- Picasso painted the whole series in just a few months as an emotional response to Matisse’s death
10
Sold 2015 · ~$170 Million
Nu couché (Reclining Nude)
View This Reproduction›Artist: Amedeo Modigliani
1917–18Painted
~$170MSale Price
2015Sold
One of Modigliani’s most celebrated nudes, elongated forms, simplified features, and a direct unflinching gaze that was considered deeply scandalous when first shown.
Why It’s So Expensive
- Authenticated Modigliani nudes are among the rarest works in the modern art market
- Its provenance, exhibition history, and condition are exceptional
Interesting Facts
- It now lives in the Long Museum in Shanghai, China’s largest private museum
- Modigliani died at 35, leaving an extremely small body of work
