Top 10 Most Expensive Artworks Ever Sold

Painted in 1955 and considered one of the most important Abstract Expressionist works in existence, Interchange was sold by David Geffen to hedge fund billionaire Kenneth Griffin in a private transaction in 2015 for approximately $300 million — the highest price ever paid for a work by a living artist at the time of the record set by Jasper Johns, and the highest ever for a de Kooning. The explosive, gestural oil painting had been acquired by Geffen from the Art Institute of Chicago, where it had been on loan; Griffin subsequently lent it to the Art Institute of Chicago, returning it to near its previous home. The work is widely regarded as a turning point in the artist's transition from figurative to fully abstract painting.

Paul Cezanne's The Card Players — the largest and earliest of his five versions of peasant men playing cards, painted around 1892–1893 — was sold by a Greek shipping family to the State of Qatar (Qatar Museums Authority) in a private sale in 2011 for approximately $250 million, the highest price ever paid for a painting at that time. The acquisition established Qatar as the world's most aggressive sovereign art collector and set off a global race among Gulf states to build world-class museum collections. The work now forms the centrepiece of the permanent collection at the Musee National du Qatar.

Paul Gauguin's 1892 Tahitian masterpiece — the title translates as "When Will You Marry?" — was sold by a Swiss family (Rudolf Staechelin family foundation) to Qatar Museums in a private sale reportedly finalised in 2014 for approximately $210 million, surpassing The Card Players as the most expensive painting ever sold at the time, though the exact price has never been officially confirmed. The oil on canvas depicts two Tahitian women in a lush landscape and had been on long-term loan to the Kunstmuseum Basel, whose director described its loss as "painful". The painting is now in the Qatari state collection.

Jackson Pollock's drip painting Number 17A, created in 1948 during the peak of his revolutionary period, was sold by David Geffen alongside Interchange in the same 2015 private transaction with Kenneth Griffin for approximately $200 million, making it the most expensive work by Pollock ever sold. The painting — a large, densely layered canvas of poured and dripped enamel and aluminium paint — exemplifies Pollock's "all-over" technique and the raw physical energy that made him the defining figure of the New York School. Griffin loans the painting to the Art Institute of Chicago as part of his ongoing cultural philanthropy.

Gustav Klimt's erotic symbolist masterpiece Water Serpents II, painted between 1904 and 1907 and depicting intertwined female figures in his signature gold-leaf and mosaic-patterned style, was sold in a private transaction in 2013 for approximately $183.8 million — the highest price ever paid for a Klimt. The painting had a complex legal history, having been restituted to the heirs of Jewish collector Jenny Steiner whose estate had been forcibly sold under Nazi pressure; the heirs subsequently sold it via Sotheby's. Its buyer was reported to be a Russian billionaire who later resold it privately at a significant profit.

Pablo Picasso's Women of Algiers (Version O), the final and most celebrated painting in his 15-canvas series reworking Eugene Delacroix's 1834 original, sold at Christie's New York on 11 May 2015 for $179.4 million — at the time an auction record for any work of art, surpassing the previous record held by Francis Bacon. The colourful, Cubist-Fauvist canvas depicts odalisques in a harem setting and represents Picasso at 74 paying homage to his artistic forebears. The buyer was identified as former Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, adding to one of the world's great private collections.

Amedeo Modigliani's Nu couche ("Reclining Nude"), painted in 1917–1918 and depicting a nude woman on a red couch with the elongated, almond-eyed style that defines his entire body of work, sold at Christie's New York in November 2015 for $170.4 million — the highest price ever paid for a Modigliani and the second-highest auction result in history at the time. The buyer was identified as Chinese billionaire Liu Yiqian, who controversially paid using his American Express card to accumulate air miles. The painting is now displayed in Liu's Long Museum in Shanghai.

Roy Lichtenstein's Masterpiece (1962) — a Pop Art comic-strip panel in which a woman tells a man "Why, Brad darling, this painting is a Masterpiece! My, soon you'll have all of New York clamoring for your work!" — was sold in a private transaction in 2017 for approximately $165 million, the highest price ever achieved for a work by Lichtenstein. The painting is a meta-commentary on the art market itself, and its sale price made the joke exquisitely self-referential. It was acquired by the Broad Foundation in Los Angeles, making it accessible to the public at the Broad museum.

Vincent van Gogh's Portrait of Dr. Gachet, painted in June 1890 just weeks before the artist's death and depicting his physician at Auvers-sur-Oise, sold at Christie's New York on 15 May 1990 for $82.5 million — the highest price ever paid at auction for any artwork at that time, a record that shocked the art world. Adjusted for inflation to 2023 dollars, the sale price is approximately $340 million, making it comparable in real terms to any work on this list. The buyer, Japanese industrialist Ryoei Saito, controversially stated he wished to be cremated with the painting; it subsequently passed through several hands and its current whereabouts are not publicly disclosed.

Painted in 1955 and considered one of the most important Abstract Expressionist works in existence, Interchange was sold by David Geffen to hedge fund billionaire Kenneth Griffin in a private transaction in 2015 for approximately $300 million — the highest price ever paid for a work by a living artist at the time of the record set by Jasper Johns, and the highest ever for a de Kooning. The explosive, gestural oil painting had been acquired by Geffen from the Art Institute of Chicago, where it had been on loan; Griffin subsequently lent it to the Art Institute of Chicago, returning it to near its previous home. The work is widely regarded as a turning point in the artist's transition from figurative to fully abstract painting.

Paul Cezanne's The Card Players — the largest and earliest of his five versions of peasant men playing cards, painted around 1892–1893 — was sold by a Greek shipping family to the State of Qatar (Qatar Museums Authority) in a private sale in 2011 for approximately $250 million, the highest price ever paid for a painting at that time. The acquisition established Qatar as the world's most aggressive sovereign art collector and set off a global race among Gulf states to build world-class museum collections. The work now forms the centrepiece of the permanent collection at the Musee National du Qatar.

Paul Gauguin's 1892 Tahitian masterpiece — the title translates as "When Will You Marry?" — was sold by a Swiss family (Rudolf Staechelin family foundation) to Qatar Museums in a private sale reportedly finalised in 2014 for approximately $210 million, surpassing The Card Players as the most expensive painting ever sold at the time, though the exact price has never been officially confirmed. The oil on canvas depicts two Tahitian women in a lush landscape and had been on long-term loan to the Kunstmuseum Basel, whose director described its loss as "painful". The painting is now in the Qatari state collection.

Jackson Pollock's drip painting Number 17A, created in 1948 during the peak of his revolutionary period, was sold by David Geffen alongside Interchange in the same 2015 private transaction with Kenneth Griffin for approximately $200 million, making it the most expensive work by Pollock ever sold. The painting — a large, densely layered canvas of poured and dripped enamel and aluminium paint — exemplifies Pollock's "all-over" technique and the raw physical energy that made him the defining figure of the New York School. Griffin loans the painting to the Art Institute of Chicago as part of his ongoing cultural philanthropy.

Gustav Klimt's erotic symbolist masterpiece Water Serpents II, painted between 1904 and 1907 and depicting intertwined female figures in his signature gold-leaf and mosaic-patterned style, was sold in a private transaction in 2013 for approximately $183.8 million — the highest price ever paid for a Klimt. The painting had a complex legal history, having been restituted to the heirs of Jewish collector Jenny Steiner whose estate had been forcibly sold under Nazi pressure; the heirs subsequently sold it via Sotheby's. Its buyer was reported to be a Russian billionaire who later resold it privately at a significant profit.

Pablo Picasso's Women of Algiers (Version O), the final and most celebrated painting in his 15-canvas series reworking Eugene Delacroix's 1834 original, sold at Christie's New York on 11 May 2015 for $179.4 million — at the time an auction record for any work of art, surpassing the previous record held by Francis Bacon. The colourful, Cubist-Fauvist canvas depicts odalisques in a harem setting and represents Picasso at 74 paying homage to his artistic forebears. The buyer was identified as former Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, adding to one of the world's great private collections.

Amedeo Modigliani's Nu couche ("Reclining Nude"), painted in 1917–1918 and depicting a nude woman on a red couch with the elongated, almond-eyed style that defines his entire body of work, sold at Christie's New York in November 2015 for $170.4 million — the highest price ever paid for a Modigliani and the second-highest auction result in history at the time. The buyer was identified as Chinese billionaire Liu Yiqian, who controversially paid using his American Express card to accumulate air miles. The painting is now displayed in Liu's Long Museum in Shanghai.

Roy Lichtenstein's Masterpiece (1962) — a Pop Art comic-strip panel in which a woman tells a man "Why, Brad darling, this painting is a Masterpiece! My, soon you'll have all of New York clamoring for your work!" — was sold in a private transaction in 2017 for approximately $165 million, the highest price ever achieved for a work by Lichtenstein. The painting is a meta-commentary on the art market itself, and its sale price made the joke exquisitely self-referential. It was acquired by the Broad Foundation in Los Angeles, making it accessible to the public at the Broad museum.

Vincent van Gogh's Portrait of Dr. Gachet, painted in June 1890 just weeks before the artist's death and depicting his physician at Auvers-sur-Oise, sold at Christie's New York on 15 May 1990 for $82.5 million — the highest price ever paid at auction for any artwork at that time, a record that shocked the art world. Adjusted for inflation to 2023 dollars, the sale price is approximately $340 million, making it comparable in real terms to any work on this list. The buyer, Japanese industrialist Ryoei Saito, controversially stated he wished to be cremated with the painting; it subsequently passed through several hands and its current whereabouts are not publicly disclosed.