Top 10 Most Expensive Paintings of All Time

MsMojo

Art collectors have deep pockets. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our list of art pieces that fetched some serious dollars.

Transcript

00:00 Welcome to MissMojo, and today we're counting down our list of art pieces that fetched some

00:11 serious dollars.

00:21 Note all figures are in US dollars and adjusted for inflation.

00:25 10. The Standard Bearer - Rembrandt, 1636

00:38 Rembrandt's The Standard Bearer is an impressive piece today, and has been regarded as such

00:43 for much of its history.

00:45 The self-portrait depicts the artist as a member of the Netherlands military, evoking

00:50 the independence effort against Spain in the Eighty Years' War.

00:54 The oil painting captures the subject in a lifelike appraisal that's approached from

00:58 an almost straight-on view, giving The Standard Bearer an intimate feeling.

01:03 At one time, the piece was owned by King George IV of England.

01:07 A private sale from the Rothschild family to the Netherlands saw The Standard Bearer

01:12 bring in a cool €175 million in the early 2020s.

01:20 9. La Femme d'Alger - Version 0 - Pablo Picasso, 1955

01:38 The art of Pablo Picasso has influenced generations of future artists in terms of style and approach.

01:45 His series of 15 drawings and paintings titled "La Femme d'Alger" or "Women of Algiers" has

01:51 also proved to be financially lucrative.

01:54 In 2015, the final painting in the series, Version 0, was sold for $179.4 million in

02:12 total to the ex-Prime Minister of Qatar, Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabbar Al Thani.

02:17 The transaction took place at Christie's Auction House in New York, setting a record at the

02:21 time for the most expensive piece to ever be sold at auction at that location.

02:35 8. Pendant Portraits of Martin Schulmanz and Objyn Kopit - Rembrandt, 1634

02:46 We can probably call this one of the most expensive wedding visual packages of all time.

02:59 This pair of portraits was commissioned to celebrate the title subject's wedding.

03:04 Although painted separately by Rembrandt, the works have always been kept and displayed

03:08 together, adding another romantic layer to the historic pieces.

03:27 Pendant Portraits of Martin Schulmanz and Objyn Kopit is another example of famous works

03:32 of art that were owned by the Rothschilds.

03:35 The Louvre Museum and the Rijksmuseum split the €160 million bill to buy the portraits

03:41 in a sale finalized in 2016.

03:44 The two museums agreed to keep the pair together and trade off where they would be on display.

03:52 7.

03:56 Number 6. Violet, Green and Red - Mark Rothko, 1951

04:01 Abstract painter Mark Rothko was known for capturing engaging combinations of color.

04:06 For Rothko, color can be used as a vehicle to convey the simplest and most powerful of

04:11 human emotions.

04:21 In 1951, painting Number 6, Violet, Green and Red, is a compelling example of this sentiment.

04:28 The high price tag for the piece is partially due to its involvement in the Bouvier affair

04:33 of the mid-2010s.

04:42 A disingenuous art dealer and shipper by the name of Yves Bouvier was alleged to have defrauded

04:47 clients by selling pieces, including Number 6, Violet, Green and Red, at inflated prices.

04:53 Bouvier sold the Rothko to Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybalovlev for €140 million, almost

05:01 double what the dealer originally paid.

05:15 6.

05:16 Number 6.

05:17 Water Serpents II - Gustav Klimt - Dmitry Rybalovlev, 1915

05:19 This provocative oil painting has a dramatic history, including a period of time when it

05:24 was seized by Nazis during World War II.

05:28 The Bouvier affair also led to a staggering sales figure when it was sold to Russian oligarch

05:33 Dmitry Rybalovlev in 2013.

05:36 The businessman purchased the Gustav Klimt painting for approximately $183.3 million.

05:43 Art dealer Bouvier did not reveal to Rybalovlev that he was actually the seller, having recently

05:48 bought the piece and tacking around an extra $70 million onto the price tag.

06:03 Rybalovlev sold Water Serpents II a couple of years later, albeit at a loss to his original

06:08 investment.

06:09 5.

06:10 Number 5.

06:11 Number 17A.

06:12 Jackson Pollock - 1948 Depending on who you ask, the art of Jackson

06:17 Pollock is either the stuff of inspired, spontaneous brilliance, or completely random splatter

06:22 paint.

06:34 A recognisable figure in the world of abstract expressionism, Pollock used his signature

06:38 drip technique in many paintings he produced in the late 1940s.

06:43 Number 17A is a chaotic blend of lines and colors that was featured in a Life magazine

06:48 profile of Pollock in 1949.

06:57 Fast forward to the year 2015, and Number 17A would be purchased by hedge fund manager

07:02 Kenneth C. Griffin for $200 million.

07:06 That's not too shabby for some random splatter paint.

07:16 Number 4.

07:17 When Will You Marry?

07:18 Paul Gugin - 1892 There's a lot to unpack when it comes to

07:26 the historical subtext of Paul Gugin's When Will You Marry?

07:30 The painting was created after a trip to Tahiti by the French artist didn't exactly go as

07:35 planned.

07:45 Gugin was hoping to capture what he deemed to be "primitive Tahitian life."

07:50 However, he found that the island's indigenous culture was different from his imagination,

07:54 due to colonization.

07:55 "The western clothes of the Tahitian girl in this 1891 portrait give an indication of

08:01 this, as do Gugin's many paintings of Christianity, as practiced by the native population."

08:08 When Will You Marry? was more of a fantasy than a realistic portrait of Tahitian life,

08:13 and also wasn't considered a grand success upon completion.

08:17 Its value had changed by the mid-2010s, though, when it was sold to Sheikha al-Mayasa bint

08:22 Hamad al-Thani of Qatar for almost $210 million.

08:28 3.

08:29 The Card Players - Paul Cézanne - 1892-93 This series of five paintings was completed

08:36 as the French post-impressionist approached the end of his career.

08:49 Cézanne used farm workers as models for the series, refining the works over several years.

08:55 He maintained the subject's concentration on the game of cards throughout each piece

08:59 while playing with complexity, space, and symmetry.

09:05 Qatar's royal family purchased one piece from the series in 2011, paying a record-setting

09:22 price at the time.

09:23 Facilitated by the notable art collector George M. Birkos, The Card Players reportedly sold

09:29 for around $250 million, although rumors swirled that they had paid even more.

09:39 2.

09:43 Interchange - Willem de Kooning - 1955 The Dutch-American artist Willem de Kooning

09:48 received $4,000 for the oil painting Interchange in 1955.

09:59 The piece displays several points of transition from the abstract expressionist, including

10:04 his choice of subject and technique.

10:07 Although it fetched a fair chunk of change for the time, that sum is paltry compared

10:11 to what it would cost Kenneth C. Griffin to acquire the piece in 2015.

10:19 The hedge fund manager shelled out $300 million to the David Geffen Foundation for the art.

10:26 Plus, Geffen had originally gotten Interchange at a loss to its previous seller, thanks partially

10:32 to a recession in the 1990s.

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10:54 1.

10:55 Salvatore Mondi - Leonardo da Vinci - 1499-1510 This captivating image of Jesus Christ is

11:07 attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, although scholars debate its origins and long history.

11:12 In the 21st century, the piece went on a globe-hopping tour, shown in cities in Asia, Europe, and

11:18 the US, before being put up for auction at Christie's New York in 2017.

11:31 The mystery around the painting did not stop it from selling for a record-setting $450.3

11:38 million to Prince Bade bin Abdullah Al Saud, a Saudi Arabian government figure.

11:44 In the cell, Salvatore Mondi was moved around several times and placed in storage.

11:49 Then, plans were made to exhibit it in a newly constructed museum in 2024.

12:00 Which price tag shocked you the most?

12:03 Let us know in the comments!

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