So that’s one way to do it. But let’s say you have a truly discerning eye, an unlimited budget, and a need to make a statement about just exactly who and what you are. Spending thousands of dollars on a painting just won’t cut it. If you would prefer to play in the top tier market, we’ve put together a slide show of the most expensive paintings in the world. We’ve limited it to those that have been sold by auction and broke the $125 million mark. Surprisingly, Monet didn’t make it into this field — he only got to $90 million for some water lilies. Still, I had to include one of his, because, well, it’s Monet, and he deserves a little respect.
I short-handed the prices paid for these paintings — the figures cited for each are in millions.
Salvator Mundi – da Vinci – $450
Portrait of Dr. Gachet – Van Gogh – $137
The Scream – Munch – $127
Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I – Klimt — $158
Woman III – De Kooning – $138
Three Studies of Lucian Freud – Bacon – $142
La Rêve (The Dream) – Picasso – $155
Number 17a – Pollack – $140
Nafea Fan Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?) – Gauguin – $213
Interchange – Kooning – $304
No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red) Rothko – $190
The Card Players – Cezanne – $270
Bal du moulin de la Galette – Renoir – $130
Reclining Nude With Blue Cushion -Modigliani – $125
Les Femmes d’Alger (“Version O”) – Picasso – $182
Pendant portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit – Rembrandt – $182
Masterpiece – Lichtenstein – $185
Adele Bloch-Bauer II – Klimt – $150
No. 5, 1948 – Pollack – $165
Le Bassin aux Nymphéas – Monet – $90
