TOP 10 Most Expensive Paintings in the World
#1. Salvator Mundi — Leonardo da Vinci
Sold for $450.3 million at Christie’s in 2017.
Believed to be a lost work by da Vinci, it depicts Christ holding a crystal orb. The buyer was reportedly Mohammed bin Salman.
#2. Interchange — Willem de Kooning
Sold for $300 million in a private sale in 2015.
Purchased by hedge fund manager Kenneth Griffin. A major Abstract Expressionist work known for its vibrant movement.
#3. The Card Players — Paul Cézanne
Sold for $250 million in a private sale in 2011.
Acquired by the Royal Family of Qatar. Part of Cézanne’s iconic card player series.
#4. Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?) — Paul Gauguin
Sold for $210 million in a private sale in 2015.
A colorful portrait from Gauguin’s Tahitian period, reportedly purchased by Qatar Museums.
#5. Number 17A — Jackson Pollock
Sold for $200 million in a private sale in 2015.
Another purchase by Kenneth Griffin. A key example of Pollock’s energetic drip painting technique.
#6. (Violet, Green and Red) — Mark Rothko
Sold for $186 million in a private sale in 2014.
Purchased by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev. A minimalist color field painting with emotional intensity.
#7. Les Femmes d’Alger (“Version O”) — Pablo Picasso
Sold for $179.4 million at Christie’s in 2015.
A Cubist reinterpretation of Delacroix’s 19th-century work, bold and colorful.
#8. Nu couché — Amedeo Modigliani
Sold for $170.4 million at Christie’s in 2015.
A sensual reclining nude that caused a stir in early 20th-century Paris.
#9. Masterpiece — Roy Lichtenstein
Sold for $165 million in a private sale in 2017.
Acquired by Steve Cohen. A defining work of the Pop Art movement, mimicking comic book style.
