Paintings have long been a successful investment and investment in a brighter future. It is difficult to say why this or that canvas is knocked out in the top and collectors are ready to outbid its arcs from a friend, with each transaction only increasing the price of the painting, while other equally worthy works of the same, and other talented painters, humbly stand in the corner. But the fact that tens and even hundreds of millions of dollars were paid for some creations is an indisputable fact.
10. Portrait of Dr. Gachet
Vincent van Gogh was so imbued with gratitude to his doctor that he immortalized him in 1890 in the painting, which he called “Portrait of Dr. Gachet”. Starting in 1990 and for a decade and a half, this canvas took first place in terms of price in all ratings. The last owner was a Japanese industrialist who ordered that he be cremated and buried along with the portrait, but whether this was done or not is not known for certain, but the picture has not been seen for 21 years.
9 Orange Red Yellow ($76 million)
The buyer, who bought the painting by Marco Rothko for $76 million, did not want to make his name public. The Russian artist created the work in 1961 and it continued a number of his canvases, known as color segmental abstraction. “Orange, red, yellow” is the case when the title fully reflects the content.
8. Triptych ($86 million)
This is the most expensive post-war picture, was painted in 1976. Three panels of equal size are by Francis Bacon. The artist placed on them ravens, blood, human entrails and organs in a distorted form. Today, this composition adorns the collection of the famous oligarch Roman Abramovich. The price paid for the masterpiece is $86 million.
7. Adele Bloch-Bauer ($87 million)
Gustav Klimt laid the foundation for Art Nouveau in Switzerland. He preferred to paint female bodies, which he treated with great sympathy, since his work is permeated with lightness and extraordinary eroticism. The artist treated some models with a special disposition, for example, Adele Bloch-Bauer, with whom he worked on four paintings. Her 1912 portrait was sold for $87 million to a private collection 11 years ago.
6. Dora Maar with a cat ($95 million)
Dora Maar has been the main woman in the life of the great Picasso for more than a decade. She was not only his lover, beloved, friend, but, of course, a model. 1941 Paris is under German occupation, the relationship of longtime lovers is rapidly deteriorating. At this moment, Pablo writes "Dora Maar with a cat." As the artist himself admitted, for him at that moment the war around and inside him mixed up and resulted in this work, the price of which would later be more than 95 million dollars. Today its owner is businessman Boris Ivanishvili.
5 Pipe Boy ($104 million)
This is not the end of Picasso's participation in the top ten most expensive paintings. At the very beginning of his creative career, 24-year-old Pablo painted a portrait of a boy holding a pipe. The head of the young man is decorated with a pink wreath, the name of the sitter is not known. For 104 million dollars, "Boy with a Pipe" went to a private collection of an Italian connoisseur.
4 Silver Crash ($105 million)
Andrey Warhola, better known as Andy Urhola, was a creative person. His work has left its mark in literature, painting, film directing. He was engaged in design, publishing, produced. And at the same time, he became a truly iconic character in pop art. His most outstanding creation was created in 1963 and is a composition of two canvases. The left part is made in the technique of silk-screen printing and contains 15 monochrome photographs from newspapers transferred to the canvas. The photographs captured how the car crashed into a tree trunk.
The right side is empty, but covered with silver paint. The composition called "Silver Catastrophe" or "Double Catastrophe" has a fairly decent size. Its length is almost 2.5 meters, and its height is 4 meters. The work was bought for $105.4 million in a 2013 auction by a Sotheby's employee for a client who did not want his name to be made public.
3 Nude, Green Leaves & Bust ($106.5 million)
Pablo Picasso opens the top three with his 1932 surrealistic painting Nude, Green Leaves and Bust. This canvas is an episode of a series in which the enamored artist intricately transformed and depicted in his own unique manner the new object of his love, Marie-Thérèse Walter. A man in love has created a number of works where his desired muse is depicted sleeping and exalted by him to the level of a sexual goddess. True, it was not necessary for his wife to know about this, and therefore Pablo worked while Olga Khokhlova (his legal wife) was with her friend in the village of Bouagelou, not far from the heart of France.
In 2010, a $106.5 million painting went under the hammer at Christie's auction house. An unknown collector became the third owner of the painting and the owner of the most expensive piece of art sold at auction that day.
2. Scream ($119.9 million)
The Norwegian expressionist Edvard Munch could hardly have guessed when he wrote The Scream that this particular painting would become his hallmark. Work on the first version began in 1893, but only 17 years later the artist was able to recreate the last one. Edward suffered from mental disorders, was treated in a clinic and, of course, that feeling of hopelessness, loneliness and horror could not but be reflected in his works. The gloomy aggression of the surrounding world and genuine unbridled fear on the face of a person depicted on canvas are charged with such powerful energy that is transmitted even through copies and reproductions. Is it any wonder that the American financier Leon Black gave 119.9 million dollars in 2012 for the opportunity to own the original canvas.
1. The most expensive painting - "Three sketches for a portrait of Lucian Freud" ($ 142.2 million)
The first place in the nomination "The most expensive painting" belongs to the work of the English expressionist, the master of the figurative style of Francis Bacon "Three sketches for a portrait of Lucian Freud". This triptych stands out from a number of other works of the author due to its color scheme, it is brighter and more saturated than in other works. The painting depicts the artist's friend sitting on a chair in several different positions and from different angles. It was painted in 1969, and in 2013 it was recognized as the most expensive painting in the world thanks to an unknown buyer who donated $142.2 million for sketches.
You can share the admiration for the most expensive paintings, not understand them or ignore them, but today these paintings are valuable, both in terms of art and from the financial side.
“Every portrait painted with feeling is, in essence, a portrait of the artist, and not of the one who posed for him” Oscar Wilde
What does it take to be an artist? Mere imitation of work cannot be considered art. Art is something that comes from within. The author's idea, excitement, searches, desires and sorrows, which are embodied on the artist's canvas. Throughout the history of mankind, hundreds of thousands, and perhaps millions of paintings have been written. Some of them are truly masterpieces, known all over the world, even people who are not related to art know them. Is it possible to single out 25 of the most outstanding among such paintings? The task is very difficult, but we tried ...
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25The Persistence of Memory, Salvador Dali
Thanks to this painting, Dali became famous at a fairly young age, he was 28 years old. The picture has several more names - "Soft watch", "Hardness of memory". This masterpiece has attracted the attention of many art historians. Basically, they were interested in the interpretation of the picture. It is said that the idea of Dali's canvas is connected with Einstein's theory of relativity.
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24"Dance", Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse was not always an artist. He discovered his love for painting after receiving a degree in law in Paris. He studied art so zealously that he became one of the greatest artists in the world. This picture has very little negative criticism of art critics. It reflects a combination of pagan rituals, dance and music. People are dancing in a trance. Three colors - green, blue and red - symbolize the Earth, Sky and Humanity.
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23The Kiss, Gustav Klimt
Gustav Klimt has often been criticized for being nude in his paintings. "The Kiss" was noticed by critics, as it merged all forms of art. The painting could be an image of the artist himself and his lover, Emilia. Klimt painted this canvas under the influence of Byzantine mosaics. The Byzantines used gold in their paintings. Similarly, Gustav Klimt mixed gold in his paints to create his own style of painting.
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22Sleeping Gypsy, Henri Rousseau
No one but Rousseau himself could describe this picture better. Here is his description - “a nomadic gypsy who sings her songs to a mandolin, sleeps on the ground from fatigue, her jug of drinking water lies nearby. A lion passing by came up to sniff her, but did not touch her. Everything is bathed in moonlight, a very poetic atmosphere.” It is noteworthy that Henri Rousseau is self-taught.
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21"The Last Judgment", Hieronymus Bosch
Without further ado - the picture is simply magnificent. This triptych is the largest of Bosch's surviving paintings. The left wing shows the story of Adam and Eve. The central part is the "Last Judgment" on the part of Jesus - who should go to heaven and who should go to hell. The earth we see here is on fire. On the right wing is depicted a disgusting image of hell.
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20
Everyone knows Narcissus from Greek mythology - a man who was obsessed with his appearance. Dali wrote his own interpretation of Narcissus.
The story is like this. The beautiful young man Narcissus easily broke the hearts of many girls. The gods intervened and, to punish him, showed him his reflection in the water. Narcissus fell in love with himself and ended up dying because he couldn't hug himself. Then the Gods regretted that they had done this to him, and decided to immortalize him in the form of a narcissus flower.
On the left side of the picture is Narcissus looking at his reflection. Then he fell in love with himself. The right panel shows the events that unfolded after, including the resulting flower, the daffodil.
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19
The plot of the picture is based on the biblical beating of the babies in Bethlehem. After the birth of Christ became known from the Magi, King Herod instructed to kill all the small male children and babies in Bethlehem. In the picture, the carnage is at its peak, the last few children taken from their mothers are waiting for their merciless death. Also visible are the corpses of children for whom everything is behind them.
Thanks to the use of rich colors, Rubens' painting has become a world-famous masterpiece.
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18
Pollock's work is very different from other artists. He placed his canvas on the ground and moved around the canvas and walked on it, dripping paint from above onto the canvas with sticks, brushes and syringes. Thanks to this unique technique, he was nicknamed "Sprinkler Jack" in artistic circles. For some time this painting held the title of the most expensive painting in the world.
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17
Also known as "Dancing at Les Moulins de la Galette". This painting is considered one of Renoir's most joyful paintings. The idea of the picture is to show the audience the fun side of Parisian life. With a detailed study of the picture, you can see that Renoir placed several of his friends on the canvas. Because the painting appears slightly washed out, it was initially criticized by Renoir's contemporaries.
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16
The story is taken from the Bible. The Last Supper depicts Christ's last supper before his arrest. He had just spoken to his apostles and told them that one of them would betray him. All the apostles are saddened and tell him that it is certainly not them. It was this moment that da Vinci beautifully portrayed with his lively image. It took the great Leonardo four years to complete this painting.
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15
Monet's "Water Lilies" can be found everywhere. You've probably seen them on wallpapers, posters, and art magazine covers. The fact is that Monet was obsessed with lilies. Before he started painting them, he had grown countless of these flowers. Monet built a Japanese-style bridge in his garden over a lily pond. He was so pleased with what he did that he drew this story seventeen times in one year.
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14
There is something sinister and mysterious in this picture, there is an aura of fear around it. Only such a master as Munch was able to portray fear on paper. Munch made four versions of The Scream in oils and pastels. According to Munch's diary entries, it is pretty clear that he himself believed in death and spirits. In the painting “The Scream”, he depicted himself at the moment when one day, walking with friends, he felt fear and excitement, which he wanted to paint.
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13
The painting, which is usually referred to as a symbol of motherhood, should not have become one. It is said that Whistler's model, who was supposed to pose for the painting, did not show up, and he decided to paint his mother instead. We can say that the sad life of the artist's mother is depicted here. This mood is due to the dark colors that are used in this painting.
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12
Picasso met Dora Maar in Paris. It is said that she was intellectually closer to Picasso than all his previous mistresses. Using cubism, Picasso was able to convey movement in his work. It seems that Maar's face is turning to the right, towards the face of Picasso. The artist made the woman's presence almost real. Maybe he wanted to feel that she was there, always.
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11
Van Gogh painted Starry Night while in treatment, where he was only allowed to paint when his condition improved. Earlier in the same year, he cut off his left earlobe. Many considered the artist insane. Of Van Gogh's entire collection of works, Starry Night is the most famous, perhaps due to the unusual spherical light around the stars.
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10
In this painting, Manet recreated Titian's Venus of Urbino. The artist had a bad reputation for depicting prostitutes. Although the gentlemen at that time visited the courtesans quite often, they did not think that it would occur to someone to draw them. Then it was preferable for artists to paint pictures on historical, mythical or biblical themes. However, Manet, contrary to criticism, showed the audience their contemporary.
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9
This painting is a historical canvas depicting Napoleon's conquest of Spain.
Having received an order for paintings depicting the struggle of the people of Spain with Napoleon, the artist did not paint heroic and pathetic canvases. He chose the moment of execution of the Spanish rebels by French soldiers. Each of the Spaniards is experiencing this moment in his own way, someone has already reconciled, but for someone the main battle has just come. War, blood and death, that's what Goya actually portrayed.
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8
It is believed that the depicted girl is the eldest daughter of Vermeer, Maria. Her features are present in many of his works, but it is difficult to compare them. A book with the same title was written by Tracey Chevalier. But Tracy's version of who is depicted in this picture is completely different. She claims that she took this topic because there is very little information about Vermeer and his paintings, and this particular painting has a mysterious atmosphere. Later, a film was made based on her novel.
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7
The exact name of the painting is “The performance of the rifle company of Captain Frans Banning Cock and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenbürg.” The rifle society was a civilian militia that was called upon to defend the city. In addition to the militia, Rembrandt added a few extra people to the composition. Considering that he bought an expensive house at the time of writing this picture, it may well be true that he received a huge fee for The Night Watch.
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6
Although the painting contains an image of Velázquez himself, it is not a self-portrait. The main character of the canvas is Infanta Margherita, daughter of King Philip IV. It depicts the moment when Velazquez, working on a portrait of the king and queen, is forced to stop and look at the Infanta Margherita, who has just entered the room with her retinue. The picture looks almost alive, awakening curiosity in the audience.
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5
This is the only painting by Brueghel that was painted in oils and not in tempera. There are still doubts about the authenticity of the painting, mainly for two reasons. Firstly, he did not paint in oils, and secondly, recent studies have shown that under the layer of painting there is a schematic drawing of poor quality, which does not belong to Brueghel.
The painting depicts the history of Icarus and the moment of his fall. According to the myth, Icarus' feathers were attached with wax, and as Icarus rose very close to the sun, the wax melted and he fell into the water. This landscape inspired Wystan Hugh Auden to write his most famous poem on the same subject.
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4
The School of Athens is perhaps the most famous fresco by the Italian Renaissance artist, Raphael.
On this mural in the School of Athens, all the great mathematicians, philosophers and scientists gathered under one roof, they share their theories and learn from each other. All the heroes lived at different times, but Raphael placed them all in the same room. Some of the figures are Aristotle, Plato, Pythagoras and Ptolemy. A closer look shows that there is a self-portrait of Raphael himself in this picture. Every artist would like to leave their mark, the only difference is the form. Although maybe he considered himself one of these great figures?
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3
Michelangelo never considered himself an artist, he always thought of himself more as a sculptor. But, he managed to create an amazing exquisite fresco, before which the whole world reveres. This masterpiece is on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. Michelangelo was commissioned to paint several biblical stories, one of which is the creation of Adam. In this picture, the sculptor in Michelangelo is just visible. Adam's human body is rendered with incredible fidelity, with vibrant colors and precise muscular form. So, one can agree with the author, after all, he is more of a sculptor.
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2"Mona Lisa", Leonardo da Vinci
Although it is the most studied painting, the Mona Lisa is still the most mysterious. Leonardo said that he never stopped working on it. Only his death is said to have completed the painting. "Mona Lisa" is the first Italian portrait in which the model is shown to the waist. Mona Lisa's skin seems to glow due to the use of several layers of transparent oils. As a scientist, Leonardo da Vinci applied all his knowledge to make the image of the Mona Lisa realistic. As for who exactly is depicted in the painting, it still remains a mystery.
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1
The painting depicts Venus, the goddess of love, floating on a shell in the wind, which is blown by Zephyr, the god of the west wind. On the shore, Ora, the goddess of the seasons, meets her, she is ready to dress the newborn deity. The model for Venus is Simonetta Cattaneo de Vespucci. Simonetta Cattaneo died at 22, and Botticelli wished to be buried next to her. He had an unrequited love for her. This painting is the most exquisite work of art ever created.
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Conclusion
It was an article TOP 25 most famous paintings in the world. Thank you for your attention!
Today we will talk about the beautiful - about art in monetary terms: about the most expensive paintings. Often the most expensive art objects are either not as beautiful at first glance as they are expensive, or they depict something that is ... incomprehensible to a mere mortal.
It is also worth considering this moment - the most expensive paintings in the world are not for sale, they are in state museums.
In the photo is a painting by Leonardo da Vinci "Mona Lisa" (1503)
For example, the paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci are not in private collections, but if they were put up for sale, the price would be higher than that of the paintings from private collections listed in the rating.
So, "the list of the most expensive paintings includes only works put up for sale in the XX-XXI centuries."
According to closed sales data, the most expensive painting - “When is the wedding?”, 1892, by Paul Gauguin, belonged to the family of Rudolf Shtehlin and in 2015 was sold to the Qatar museum department for (!!!) 300 million dollars!
In the photo is a painting by Paul Gauguin “When is the wedding?”
Paul Gauguin has one painting on the list of the most expensive, but it comes first.
The painting was painted by the author on the island of Tahiti, where Gauguin settled, leaving the bustle of the world and his former family, married a young dark-skinned girl of thirteen from a local tribe - according to official versions, this girl is depicted in the foreground in the picture. Glory came to the artist only after death ...
Pablo Picasso is perhaps the most popular artist of the most expensive paintings today. In the list of the most expensive paintings (for 2016) of his works - 6.
According to open sales, the most expensive painting is Women of Algiers (version O) by Pablo Picasso. 1st place according to the results of open sales. Sold for $179.3 million in May 2015. “This is the amount paid for by the former Prime Minister of Qatar, Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani.” In general, there are 15 paintings in the Algerian Women series.
Pictured is a painting by Pablo Picasso "Women of Algeria" (version O)
Pablo Picasso is also called the most expensive artist, since even by the standards of 2006 and only according to official sales, the fund of his works amounted to 262 million dollars. But today, even 6 of his paintings, presented in the list, have a total fund of more than 650 million dollars.
Picasso - “The founder of cubism (together with Georges Braque and Juan Gris), in which a three-dimensional body was drawn in an original manner as a series of planes combined together. Picasso worked a lot as a graphic artist, sculptor, ceramist, etc.”. Picasso created over 20,000 works in his lifetime.
Another of his works is one of the first places in the list of the most expensive paintings - "Nude, Green Leaves and Bust", 1932, by Pablo Picasso, sold for $106.5 in May 2010.
Pictured is a painting by Pablo Picasso "Nude, green leaves and a bust"
The painting depicts Picasso's mistress, whom he painted secretly from his wife (though, to be honest, it is not very easy to recognize a mistress or not a mistress in this work, as well as in all the works of the artist it is difficult to find out exactly who he painted).
4th place according to the results of closed sales:
Dream, 1932, Pablo Picasso. The painting was sold in 2013 for $155 million.
Pictured is a painting by Pablo Picasso "Dream"
Boy with a Pipe, 1905, by Pablo Picasso - sold in 2004 for $104 million.
Pictured is a painting by Pablo Picasso "Boy with a pipe"
"Dora Maar with a cat", 1941, Pablo Picasso - sold for $ 95 million in 2006
pictured is a painting by Pablo Picasso "Dora Maar with a cat"
"Bust of a Woman (Woman in a Hairnet)", 1938, Pablo Picasso - sold at the end of 2015 for $67 million
Pictured is a painting by Pablo Picasso "Bust of a Woman"
The next artist who took pride of place in the list of the creators of the most expensive paintings is Paul Cezanne.
His painting "The Card Players" (the 3rd painting in a 5-painting series) was purchased by the Karat authorities for the National Museum in 2011 for $250 million. At that time it was the most expensive painting. Second place according to the results of closed sales for 2016.
In the photo is the 3rd painting of the series "Card Players" (1892-1893) by Paul Cezanne
"Paul Cezanne (fr. Paul Cézanne; 1839-1906) - French painter, a prominent representative of post-impressionism."
Even in the list of the most expensive paintings are the following paintings by Cezanne:
"Mount Sainte-Victoire, View from the Grove at Château Noire", 1904, Paul Cezanne, sold in 2012 for $100 million
In the photo is a painting by Paul Cezan "Mount Saint-Victoire, view from a grove in Chateau Noire"
Pictured is a painting by Paul Cezan
"Still Life with Jug and Drapery (English)", the painting was sold for 60.5 million dollars in 1999.
Another outstanding artist whose paintings have added to the list of the most expensive is Mark Rothko. Mark Rothko is an American artist, a leading exponent of abstract expressionism, one of the creators of color field painting. "Mark Rothko is one of the most famous and influential American artists of the second half of the 20th century and a key figure in post-war abstract expressionism."
In Russia, an exhibition of Rothko's works was first held in 2003 at the State Hermitage Museum, and was timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the artist's birth.
In August 2014, Mark Rothko's painting No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red) was sold for $186 million.
Pictured is a painting by Mark Rothko "Violet, Green and Red" (No. 6)
Also in 10th place according to the results of open auction Rothko's painting "Orange, Red, Yellow", 1961, sold for 87.6 million dollars in 2012.
Pictured is a painting by Mark Rothko "Orange, Red, Yellow"
Painting No. 10 (1961) by Marco Rothko sold for $81.9 million in 2015.
Pictured is a painting by Mark Rothko "No. 10"
Pictured is Rothko's "No. 1 (Royal Red and Blue)", 1954 - sold for $75.1 million in 2012.
Pictured is "White Center (yellow, pink and purple on pink)", 1950, sold for 72.8 in 2007.
Pictured is Rothko's "Untitled", 1952, sold for $66.2 million in 2012.
Basically, the artist created works of abstract color field painting, although there are also portraits. As art connoisseurs assure: “The expressive canvases of Mark Rothko have a mystical feature - according to many viewers, the paintings, when you observe them from a close distance (namely, the artist himself insisted on this), evoke strong emotions - a heightened feeling of loneliness or fear, to the point that standing in front of them , especially sensitive people may burst into tears.
Another famous artist is Amedeo Modigliani. He painted several paintings that are considered among the most expensive in the world.
"Amedeo (Iedidia) Clemente Modigliani, July 12, 1884, Livorno, Kingdom of Italy - January 24, 1920, Paris, Third French Republic - Italian artist and sculptor, one of the most famous artists of the late XIX - early XX century, a representative of expressionism."
In the photo, the painting "Reclining Nude"
The second in the list of the most expensive paintings according to open auction versions: "Reclining Nude", 1917-1918, sold for 170.4 at the end of 2015.
Nude Seated on a Couch, 1917 was sold for $69 million at the end of 2010.
Reclining Nude with a Blue Cushion, 1917 was sold for $118 million in 2012.
The next famous artist whose paintings added to the lists of the most expensive paintings: Vincent van Gogh
"Vincent Willem van Gogh (March 30, 1853, Grotto-Zundert, near Breda, the Netherlands - July 29, 1890, Auvers-sur-Oise, France) was a Netherlandish post-impressionist painter whose work had a timeless influence on 20th-century painting."
“Along with the creations of Pablo Picasso, van Gogh's works are among the first in the list of the most expensive paintings ever sold in the world, according to estimates from auctions and private sales. Sold for more than 100 million (2011 equivalent) include: "Portrait of Dr. Gachet", "Portrait of the Postman Joseph Roulin" and "Irises".
Portrait of Dr. Gachet, 1890, sold for $82.5 million in 1990.
Portrait of an Artist Without a Beard, 1889, sold for 71.5 in 1998.
Alikamp, 1888, sold for $66.3 million in 2015.
Van Gogh lived a short, rather unhappy life, maneuvering between the desire to become a pastor, to arrange a private life, to go insane to the extreme, to live with the poor ... His life itself is a subject of study for many. In his paintings, it is not so much the technical performance that is expensive as the name of the author, whose fame, as befits real geniuses, came after death.
“Francis Bacon (eng. Francis Bacon; October 28, 1909, Dublin - April 28, 1992, Madrid) is an English expressionist artist, a master of figurative painting. The main theme of his work is the human body - distorted, elongated, enclosed in geometric shapes, against a background devoid of objects.
Francis Bacon has 3 paintings in the list of the most expensive:
3rd place according to the results of an open auction: “Three sketches for a portrait of Lucian Freud - triptych, 1969, sold for 142.4 in 2013.
In the photo, the painting "Triptych", 1976, was sold for 86.281 million dollars in 2008.
Pictured is Three Studies for a Portrait of John Edwards - Triptych, 1984, sold for $80.8 million in 2014.
Of course, it is impossible about such artists as Edvard Munch, Claude Monet, Willem de Kooning.
In the photo, Munch's painting "The Scream" (1893-1910) is the 4th most expensive painting by the standards of 2012 (open sales), sold for $119 million.
There are 4 versions of the painting “The Scream”, the artist himself reproduced it several times ... A desperate man in the fetal position, covering his face with his hands against the background of thickening clouds and waves flooded with glow and depression, was liked by many for the accuracy of conveying emotions through the image. The scream is everywhere - in the contours of the sky, repeating in the likeness of a head covered with the screaming hands, in the distorted lines of the body, in the gloomy tones of the environment, in people walking peacefully at a distance, not noticing the desperation and horror of the screaming ...
Munch's paintings were often stolen by intruders.
In the photo, Claude Monet's "Pond of Water Lilies" was sold for $80.5 million in 2008.
Willem De Kooning's Woman III, 1953 sold for $137.5 million in 2006.
Kunig, as a lover of extravagance, abstractness, created truly creations, in their beauty not always understandable to people from the outside. All of his paintings from the series Women .., as well as other paintings, do not convey not so much realism as the individualistic understanding of the world by the artist himself.
From Wikipedia: “The lonely female figure, under the influence of violent, pasty “blow strokes” on de Kooning’s canvases, turns into a kind of pictorial totem, open to radical Freudian readings.”
Kooning's sculpture is as expressive and abstract as the paintings, for example, "A Figure Sitting on a Bench" made of bronze (1972) leaves a huge field for reflection and guessing who is sitting on the bench ..
In general, have you ever had the feeling when you saw the paintings of Kooning, Picasso and artists who painted in a similar style that these creations are, to put it mildly, let's say, untalented? But standing next to a cloud, sighing from the depth and glory of the paintings, do not allow this, because you can be considered ignorant with bad taste, etc. I assure you - such thoughts have visited almost everyone who is not too immersed in art, and this is normal.
In fact, I confess honestly: I don’t understand Kooning ... Picasso - I don’t believe that everyone understands. Or here are Rothko's color fields for hundreds of millions of dollars... It's generally impossible to understand right away, and evaluate it from a running start. Just color on the canvas and that's it, but people admire.. Salvador Dali is more of a philosophical artist. If you look at the paintings of the latter from the point of view of aesthetic pleasure, there is little of it in them, but they have a great essence, but I did not find the essence in the paintings of Kooning. Of course, this does not mean that it is not there. In general, these artists are difficult to understand ..
Many of them have difficult fates, sometimes suicides, sometimes madness ... The same Rothko, who painted canvases with ideal royal flowers, near which people cried from a special energy, committed suicide, being in a severe depression.
But Rothko is a pure, “royal” color, which is foolish to judge by the photo of his paintings on a laptop monitor. But still, I liked the creation “Light Red on Black”, 1957, the most of what I met in Rothko's work. The essence of the picture, as conceived by the author himself, is “a simple expression of a complex thought.” From a philosophical point of view - thoughtfully and concisely .. The main thing is clear.
Pictured is M. Rothko's painting "Light Red on Black", 1957
There are versions much prettier than Claude Monet's version of The Water Lily Pond, painted by unknown artists. But there is one BUT: it doesn’t catch, but some kind of chaotic version in the form of spots on canvas, written by a genius, catches.
At the same time, the paintings are expensive and beautiful, beautiful not in complexity, but in simplicity, they are sometimes not much more beautiful than those painted by the hand of some unknown author, but they cost millions of dollars. Why does this happen: paintings by little-known but talented authors cost little, and three spots or a brushstroke in red on a white background by a well-known artist cost a thousand times more.
The point is in the name (as in the case of things - in the brand, firm), sometimes it is only in the name. Evaluate not the picture itself, but its author. Then.. what are auctions? The rich of this world compete in the right to own an exclusive masterpiece of creativity .. someone competes at the level of someone who has a cooler car, someone who has a Picasso painting ..
Powerful people tend to convert aesthetics into money. If you think that most expensive paintings in the world are at exhibitions, then you are deeply mistaken. Such copies were put up for auction. Of course, not all people understand this art. Someone considers a masterpiece a daub, and someone is ready to give exorbitant amounts of money for a picture. In any case, you should familiarize yourself with the most masterpiece paintings.
We will tell you about the paintings that turned out to be the most expensive in the world. In this rating, you will not meet the well-known "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo da Vinci. Since this masterpiece is insured for a huge amount of money. To be more precise - for 100 million dollars. At the moment, "Mona Lisa" got into the Guinness Book of Records for this very reason. It should also be borne in mind that if we translate into today's dollar exchange rate, then this amount is already 670 million.
So, on the 10th place of our rating is a picture "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer" for $87.9 million. This is another masterpiece by Gustav Klimt. Of course, like any other painting, it has its own exceptional history. Why is this particular woman depicted? The famous industrial magnate sponsored many artists, one of whom was Gustav. Adele Bloch Bauer was the wife of a magnate. Gustav wanted to thank a wealthy man for financial assistance.
Who was this woman? There is nothing special here. A lady of Jewish origin was in charge of the most famous salon, which was constantly visited by both artists and other people of creativity. By the way, this is the only woman that the artist painted twice. For your information, the second painting by Adele was also bought at auction for 135 mol. dollars. And this masterpiece in 2006 at an auction was purchased by a collector who wished to remain anonymous. How did the paintings get up for auction? After Adele's death, her husband gave the portraits to an Austrian gallery. Then - the paintings were stolen from the gallery. In 2005, after the trial, the paintings were returned to the descendants of the lady. And only then they got to the auction. "Portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer" sold for $135 million. We have already mentioned this masterpiece. Also, the picture of Gustav Klimt is called "Austrian Mona Lisa" and "Golden Adele". Rumor has it that the girl was the mistress of the artist. The American businessman Ronald Lauder bought the painting.
An abstract view of people by Pablo Picasso
Painting "Dora Maar with a cat" was sold for $95.2 million. Interestingly:
- the picture was painted in 1941
- the cat is not so easy to see here because of the figures that were used when writing
- bought by Russian businessman Rustam Tariko.
The picture looks very strange, unique and majestic. Apparently they are telling the truth. Pablo Picasso is not a talented artist, but a crazy genius. His relationship with a woman was very romantic. But the couple had a very extraordinary thinking and characters. Therefore, the portrait of Dora is very distorted. There are no clear lines and edges here, as in her inner state of mind.
Andy Warhol is one of the most famous contemporary artists
Even if you are a person who understands almost nothing in art, then for sure you know Andy Warhol from his paintings of Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. Warhol's favorite themes are:
- repetition of the image
- death threat
- worldwide fame.
Painting . The picture was created in 1963. For forty years she occupied a place of honor among other creations of the collector Annibale Berlinghieri. In 2008, he decided to put it up for auction. The painting sold for $100 million to an unknown person.
Seventh place and again Pablo Picasso. The work was written by Picasso when he was 24 years old. History is silent about what kind of guy this is, why he has a pipe in his hand, and a crown of roses on his head.
Sotheby`s auction found the owner's painting. They again turned out to be an unknown person who did not spare 104 million dollars for the product. It is interesting that the original cost of the painting is 70 million. How did the work of art end up at auction recently? The first owner was John Hay Whitney. He bought "Boy with a pipe" for only 30 thousand dollars in 1950.
Another masterpiece by Pablo Picasso
The painting was painted back in 1932. - this is the personification of the soul and body of the mistress of the artist Marie-Therese Walter. Pablo met his beloved in 1927. The painting was recently sold. To be more precise, in 2010 at the Christie's auction. It was acquired by an unknown collector for 196 and a half million dollars. And again, initially the picture was purchased for only 19 thousand USD. the Brody family in 1951. After the death of her husband, the widow Sidney decided to sell the masterpiece.
- blood red sky
- screaming figure
- some generalizations of the landscape.
Petter Olsen, its first owner, part-time Norwegian billionaire, put the masterpiece up for auction. sold for $119 million 922,000.
- the picture was not written, strokes and strokes were used here
- each piece of a masterpiece is a kind of symbol
- the masterpiece is named the best among all the paintings of the artist
The owner of the painting was an American collector David Geffen. He sold it in 2006 to millionaire Stephen Cohen for as much as $137.5 million. This instance can be considered and studied forever, each time learning something new.
In second place in the ranking of the most expensive paintings in the world is a mysterious painting, you can even say that this is the whole Universe or the imagination of one person. The painting was painted by a world-famous abstract artist Jackson Pollock. He is also called the inventor of "action painting". The artist amazed the world with his thinking. He is sure that the main thing is not the result of the picture, but the creative process itself, experiences at this moment, and so on. Every time something disturbed him, he wanted to shout about something, he poured out his soul by splashing and pouring paint. The main colors on the masterpiece:
- yellow
- brown
- grey
You should not try to understand what exactly the artist was thinking about, what he was puzzled by and what he was going through. This picture can be interpreted in any way, you just need to connect your own imagination. Auction Sotheby's closed regime found the owner of this masterpiece. The painting was bought by David Geffen, a well-known collector of the most masterpiece paintings. And the cost "Numbers 5"- exactly $140 million.
Surprising but true. Here, not the usual canvas was used, but a sheet of fiberboard. It was yellow and brown sprays that were applied here. And the gray color was at the very beginning. This masterpiece is more like a big nest.
The most expensive painting in the world
So, here is the final of our rating. The most famous work of art bought by the royal family of Qatar -. The author of the masterpiece is a French artist Paul Cezan. It took exactly 1 year to draw, starting in 1892 and ending in 1893. The royal family bought the painting 2 years ago. This is the most expensive cost for a masterpiece of open auction, namely - 250 million dollars.
True art is simply priceless. We have reviewed those masterpieces that have already been sold. But it's a sin not to pay attention to those paintings that have already been evaluated, but have not yet found their owner. Let's consider some of them. We do not know, perhaps, some of these masterpieces will be sold today at a closed auction. And perhaps these paintings will find their owners very soon.
Vincent van Gogh
The painting is estimated at 85 - 130 million dollars. Her whereabouts remain unknown at this time. The portrait was painted in 1890. After it was painted, the painting mysteriously ended up in the United States during World War II. Then she migrated to Amsterdam Siegfried Kramarski. And only in 1990 the picture stopped at Christie`s auction.
What is surprising about the portrait?
- this is the last creation of the genius Van Gogh
- written 2 weeks before death
- the protagonist is not a simple character, but a real psychiatrist Paul Gachet, who treated the artist.
The face expresses longing, sadness and chagrin. It is not known why the artist saw his doctor, whom he trusted, so sad before his death. Here we can only guess.
I would also like to recall a few words about Russian artists. Consider some of the masterpieces that were not included in the rating of the most expensive paintings in the world, but became the most valuable in Russia.
Mark Rothko
The picture was painted in 1950. It was sold for 72.8 million dollars. This masterpiece is considered to be the 12th most expensive painting in the world. The question of what Mark can be called the native Russian soul is also debatable. He was born in Latvia, and left Russia at the age of 10, when there was not yet a word about what he would paint. Therefore, we will not mention such artists.
Kazimir Malevich
Of course, this artist is known to everyone, from young children to those who do not understand anything in art, thanks to the "Black Square". Nevertheless, the Suprematist composition, which was written in 1915, became the most expensive creation of Malevich. In 2008, the painting was sold at Sotheby's for $60 million.
What way did the composition before the Sotheby's auction?
Casimir decided to arrange an exhibition of his works back in 1927. For this purpose, he brought to Berlin about a hundred of his works. But absolutely unexpectedly he was called back home. The paintings remained in the custody of the famous architect Hugo Hering.
At the time of the Nazis, it was very difficult to preserve such paintings, but the architect succeeded. As a result, in 1958 the paintings were sold to the Dutch museum Stendelek. Malevich had already died by this time.
At the beginning of the 21st century, about 40 of Malevich's heirs began proceedings in court. After all, in fact, Hering is not the owner of the paintings. It was possible to sue only 5 paintings. One of which was "Suprematist composition". And only after such a long journey, the painting was sold to Sotheby's.