The Most Expensive Paintings Ever
I like doing Most Expensive Ever posts, if not for anything than to remind myself that often people have more money than sense! Recently I came across the picture of the most expensive painting ever and got curious to find out what are the most expensive paintings ever. When we say expensive we mean of course most expensive ever sold because the really classic paintings are all sitting in museums and are never going to be sold (I mean can you imagine the Louvre putting the Mona Lisa under the hammer or the British Art Gallery auctioning off Van Gogh’s Sunflowers?).
Now this is the most expensive painting ever sold. I found that I was completely mystified: I simply could not fathom the allure of the painting. I admit that I don’t think much of abstract art and know even less, but this one continues to confound me: Jackson Pollock’s No. 5, 1948 sold by David Geffen, founder of Geffen Records and co-founder of Dreamworks SKG, to David Martinez, managing partner of Fintech Advisory Ltd, in a private sale for a record inflation-adjusted price of $140 million. I don’t get it; $140 million for something that looks like a bird’s nest to me.
Woman III is a painting by abstract expressionist painter Willem de Kooning, which was sold by David Geffen to billionaire Steven A. Cohen for $137.5 million, making it the second most expensive painting ever sold. I am sorry but I do not get this one either.
Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I is a painting by Gustav Klimt completed in 1907. According to press reports it was sold for US$135 million to Ronald Lauder for his Neue Galerie in New York City. It is a painting of oil, silver and gold on canvas; this I like; it is interesting to look at as well.
Now Van Gogh is an artist that I greatly admire and whose paintings I actually enjoy looking at. Rubens is my favourite painter but he is low down on this list. Portrait of Dr. Gachet by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh fetched a record price of $82.5 million ($75 million, plus a 10 percent buyer’s commission) in 1990.
This is the sort of painting that to me would be a thing of beauty and a joy forever. Bal du moulin de la Galette (or Le moulin de la Galette) is an 1876 painting by French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir which was owned by John Hay Whitney, on May 17, 1990, his widow sold the painting for US$78 million at Sotheby’s in New York City to Ryoei Saito.
This is a top five list; if you want a complete list, visit Wiki.
This is all well and good as I see it,… since I myself own one of these painting mentioned right up at the top of the article. I do believe I own one of Vincent’s “Munich Sunflower” one of his paintings that was painted for Gauguin’s bedroom in Arles, France.
Cheers!
vanrijngo
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It is art…it is not supposed to be understood…
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Well, if you love MOST EXPENSIVE EVER POST,
Me, I love reading facts and Guinness record articles..
Cos you know they’re very amazing and it’s very nice to know that there are so many unbelievable yet existing facts in the world.
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Sometimes I get the abstract and sometimes not. My wife gets it more than I. She says if I dont get it its not for me Huh? I can understand the last 4 paintings but the first one Jackson Pollock’s No. 5, well I am as dumbfounded as you. I guess someone got it and paid what did you say, $140 million? Wow, I dont get it either.
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How many times does one have to read Willem de Kooning throughout his works of art to know that it might have been produced by his hand. Now getting back to authenticity in this new day and age of computer science along with real science,…. other previous provenances will not suffice for the future art investors. Some supposed secretes are now being exposed and have been coming out now as good information for high end art investors. It is also coming to the attention of ones running the show, involved with this complete MFA world of supposedly representing art for humanity and of the true artists. It makes one wonder just who’s going to actually win over in this gigantic art for humanity scams of the centuries, even starting before the Kings and Queens started their own collections.
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Painting speaks itself and revels the truth with its own design and artistic color make out.
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