The Scream (Munch, 1893)

The Scream sold for $119.9 million at Sotheby's in May 2012, then a world auction record, surpassing #3 The Last Supper's cultural value though not its restoration costs. Created by Edvard Munch in four versions between 1893 and 1910, the most famous pastel-on-board piece measures 83.5cm x 66cm. Its blood-red sky and anguished figure became the universal symbol of modern anxiety, with the 1994 theft of the National Gallery version adding to its lore. The Scream's central image has been reproduced in over 5,000 commercial products, outpacing the Mona Lisa's merchandise count by 20%.