The 16 most expensive paintings ever sold

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Claude Monet's 1890 painting "Meules" sold at auction after only eight minutes for a whopping $110.7 million, according to the New York Times.Sotheby's claims it is the most an Impressionist work has ever sold for.

Updated 2019-05-15T13:53:00Z
  • Sotheby's New York just sold Claude Monet's 1890 painting "Meules" for $110.7 million.
  • They claim it is the most an Impressionist work has ever sold for.
  • $110.7 million is almost a bargain — there are many works of art that have sold for much more, like a painting attributed to Leonardo da Vinci that was sold for $450.3 million in 2017.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

 

Claude Monet's 1890 painting "Meules" sold at auction after only eight minutes — for a whopping $110.7 million, according to the New York Times. Sotheby's claims it is the most an Impressionist work has ever sold for.

In May 2018, Sotheby's New York broke its own sales record selling Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani's "Nu couché (sur le côté gauche)" for $157.2 million.

But neither of those even come close to the prices fetched by some other works of art, like a painting attributed to Leonardo da Vinci that was sold for $450.3 million in 2017.

Below, take a look at the 16 most expensive paintings that have sold during auctions or via private sales.

16. Claude Monet's "Meules" — $110.7 million

“Meules.” Reuters/Lucas Jackson

Date sold: March 15, 2019

Price: $110.7 million

Type of sale: Sotheby's New York, auction

15. Jackson Pollock's "No. 5, 1948" — $140 million

"No. 5, 1948." Jackson Pollock/Wikimedia/Fair Use

Date sold: November 2, 2006

Price: $140 million

Type of sale: Private sale via Sotheby's

14. Francis Bacon's "Three Studies of Lucian Freud" — $142.4 million

"Three Studies of Lucian Freud." Francis Bacon/Wikimedia/Fair Use

Date sold: November 12, 2013

Price: $142.4 million

Type of sale: Christie's, New York, auction 

13. Gustav Klimt's "Adele Bloch-Bauer II" — $150 million

"Adele Bloch-Bauer II." Gustav Klimt/Wikimedia/Fair Use

Date sold: 2016

Price: $150 million

Type of sale: Private sale via Larry Gagosian

12. Pablo Picasso's "Le Rêve" — $155 million

"Le Rêve." Ian Langsdon/Pool Photo via AP

Date sold: March 26, 2013

Price: $155 million

Type of sale: Private sale

11. Amedeo Modigliani's "Nu couché (sur le côté gauche)" — $157.2 million

"Nu couché (sur le côté gauche)." Vincent Yu/AP

Date sold: May 14, 2018

Price: $157.2 million

Type of sale: Sotheby's auction 

10. Roy Lichtenstein's "Masterpiece" — $165 million

"Masterpiece." Roy Lichtenstein/Wikimedia/Fair Use

Date sold: January 2017

Price: $165 million

Type of sale: Private

9. Amedeo Modigliani's "Nu Couché" — $170.4 million

"Nu Couché." Amedeo Modigliani/Public Domain

Date sold: November 9, 2015

Price: $170.4 million

Type of sale: Christie's, New York, auction 

8. Picasso's "Les Femmes d'Alger ("Version O")" — $179.4 million

"Les Femmes d'Alger ("Version O")." Pablo Picasso/Wikimedia/Fair Use

Date sold: May 11, 2015

Price: $179.4 million

Type of sale: Christie's, New York auction

7. Rembrandt's "Pendant portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit" — $180 million

"Pendant portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit." Rembrandt/Public Domain

Date sold: September 2015

Price: $180 million

Type of sale: Private

6. Mark Rothko's "No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red)" — $186 million

"No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red)." Mark Rothko/Wikimedia/Fair Use

Date sold: August 2014

Price: $186 million

Type of sale: Private sale via Yves Bouvier

5. Pollock's "Number 17A" — ~$200 million

"Number 17A." Jackson Pollock/Wikimedia/Fair Use

Date sold: September 2015

Price: ~$200 million

Type of sale: Private

4. Paul Gauguin's "Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?)" — $210 million

"Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?)." Paul Gauguin/Public Domain

Date sold: September 2014

Price: $210 million

Type of sale: Private

3. Paul Cézanne's "The Card Players" — $250 million

"The Card Players." Paul Cézanne/Public Domain

Date sold: April 2011

Price: $250 million

Type of sale: Private

2. Willem de Kooning's "Interchange" — ~$300 million

"Interchange." Willem de Kooning/Wikimedia/Fair Use

Date sold: September 2015

Price: ~$300 million

Type of sale: Private 

1. Painting attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, "Salvator Mundi" — $450.3 million

"Salvator Mundi." Attributed to Leonardo da Vinci/Public domain

Date sold: November 15, 2017

Price: $450.3 million

Type of sale: Christie's, New York, auction

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