These Are the 10 Most Expensive Paintings in the World (2023)

FAQs

These Are the 10 Most Expensive Paintings in the World? ›

Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci

Salvator Mundi, translated to “Savior of the World,” is not only the world's most expensive painting—it's possibly the most controversial painting, as well.

Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci

Salvator Mundi, translated to “Savior of the World,” is not only the world's most expensive painting—it's possibly the most controversial painting, as well.

The most valuable painting in history must surely be the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. Although it is considered priceless, we can determine some numerical value by looking at the insurance value of the painting.

Why is Salvator Mundi so controversial? Apart from the selling price of the painting, which still many art lovers cannot digest, the main reason behind the controversy surrounding it is the question of authenticity.

Paul Gauguin, Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?) 1892. The painting sold for $300 million.

1. Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci (1503-1505) Probably the most famous painting in the world is Leonardo da Vinci's La Gioconda, better known as Mona Lisa.

The largest art theft in world history occurred in Boston on March 18, 1990, when thieves stole 13 pieces, collectively valued at $500 million, from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Among the pieces stolen was Vermeer's The Concert, which is considered to be the most valuable stolen painting in the world.

As well as becoming the most expensive painting in history, going for $450m (£326m) at auction, Salvator Mundi was denounced by many as a fake and subsequently vanished from view. The painting is now the subject of The Lost Leonardo, a documentary by Andreas Koefoed that opens in cinemas this week.

It was acquired by King Francis I of France and is now the property of the French Republic. It has been on permanent display at the Louvre in Paris since 1797.

If you account for inflation, she's worth over $834m in today's money.

How much does Mona Lisa cost? ›

The Mona Lisa is priceless. Any speculative price (some say over a billion dollars!) would probably be so high that not one person would be able or willing to purchase and maintain the painting. Moreover, the Louvre Museum would probably never sell it.

While its composition indicated Salvator Mundi was an original, its newly restored style suggested that it was an original painted by Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci, creator of the Mona Lisa and one of the most famous artists in history.

But before Salvator Mundi, the 500- year-old painting of Christ by Leonardo da Vinci that has caused an international frenzy, broke auction house records, it was long thought to be merely a copy of the lost original and was at one point worth a mere £45.

Spanish police are investigating four people for fraud after they allegedly tried to sell forged paintings for more than €76 million ($84 million), falsely claiming they were works by the masters Velazquez and Goya, according to authorities.

Billionaire Collector to Auction Prized Basquiat Painting for Upwards of $70 Million USD. In 2021, Basquiat generated $439.6 million USD at auction.

In 2004 the art auction market crossed a major threshold when it hammered its first-ever nine-digit result for an artwork: over 100 million dollars for Pablo Picasso's famous Garçon à la pipe, painted in 1905 when the artist was just 24.

"The Basket of Strawberries" (Le panier de fraise des bois) by Jean-Siméon Chardin (1699-1779) was sold at auction in Paris on 23rd March 2022 for €24,381,400. (That's $26.9 million or £20.5 million).

After a drawn-out 19-minute long bidding war, Salvator Mundi became the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction. Sold from a private European collection, the winning buyer was later revealed to be Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

The Starry Night painting has been highly esteemed for decades and its value has reached $100 million, following its $50 million sale in 1990. Many investors are attracted to his artwork for its financial value.

Who is the world's No 1 painter? ›

1. Leonardo Da Vinci (1452–1519) Renaissance painter, scientist, inventor, and more. Da Vinci is one of most famous painters in the world for his iconic Mona Lisa and Last Supper. 2.

Leonardo da Vinci is probably the most important Renaissance artist. Da Vinci is widely recognized as the most famous and influential artist of all time. He's Mona Lisa painting masterpiece is permanently displayed in the Louvre Museum in France protected behind bulletproof glass.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist is easily the biggest art theft in history. It occurred on March 18, 1990, when two thieves posing as Boston police officers broke into the museum and made off with 13 works.

Raphael, Portrait of a Young Man

It's Poland's most famous art loss from WWII. Portrait of a Young Man was taken from the Czartoryski family collection in Krakow to be placed in Hitler's Führer Museum in 1939.

The most famous paintings, especially old master works created before 1803, are generally owned or held at museums, for viewing by patrons. Since the museums rarely sell them, they are considered priceless.

Most Expensive Art Auction Ever: Paul Allen's Collection Fetches Record $1.6 Billion.

As it happens, Hockney also has a clear memory of what “Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)” originally fetched shortly after he painted it. On Thursday, at a Christie's auction in New York, the painting was sold for $90.3 million, an auction record for a living artist.

The Last Supper painting is owned by the Italian government. It is not a movable painting, but a mural created directly on the wall of the convent, so it cannot be moved. Therefore, the owner of the convent is the owner of the painting.

What does Mona mean in English? ›

Mona is a girl's name of Italian origin. This name translates to “noble” and “aristocratic.” It is thought to be derived from the name Madonna, which is famously associated with the Virgin Mary in Christian theology.

Van Gogh's rolling night sky full of bright stars is probably one of the world's most famous artworks. The Starry Night's home is at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

How much is 'Sunflowers' worth? When Van Gogh's own copy of the original version went on auction at Christie's, as much as 40 million dollars was paid to purchase it. Taking into account inflation, this painting would have cost $100m. It was purchased by Tokyo-based Yasuda insurance company.

Indeed, the Mona Lisa is a very realistic portrait. The subject's softly sculptural face shows Leonardo's skillful handling of sfumato, an artistic technique that uses subtle gradations of light and shadow to model form, and shows his understanding of the skull beneath the skin.

The world's most famous painting, the Mona Lisa, needs a space big enough to welcome its many admirers. It is therefore housed in the Louvre's largest room, the Salle des États, which is also home to other remarkable Venetian paintings such as The Wedding Feast at Cana by Veronese.

Bob Ross was an American Postwar & Contemporary painter who was born in 1942. DePaul Art Museum featured Bob Ross's work in the past. Bob Ross's work has been offered at auction multiple times, with realized prices ranging from 200 USD to 9,000 USD, depending on the size and medium of the artwork.

Numerous key galleries and museums such as Albertina Modern have featured Jackson Pollock's work in the past. Jackson Pollock's work has been offered at auction multiple times, with realized prices ranging from 15 USD to 61,161,000 USD, depending on the size and medium of the artwork.

Picasso's 'La Gommeuse' oil on canvas painting worth $67.5 million. Among Pablo Picasso's famous paintings is La Gommeuse. Created between 1901 and 1902 during Picasso's Blue Period, this painting came to be worth $1.4 million in 1986. Since then, it saw a 5,600% value increase, landing it a $49.9 million price tag.

As seen today, Salvator Mundi depicts the curly-haired Christ gazing at the viewer as he raises his right hand in a blessing. In his left hand, Jesus cradles a crystal orb that testifies to his position as savior of the world.

Salvator Mundi, Latin for Saviour of the World, is a subject in iconography depicting Christ with his right hand raised in blessing and his left hand holding an orb (frequently surmounted by a cross), known as a globus cruciger.

Is Salvator Mundi still missing? ›

By 1625, Charles I of England had acquired the painting, but following his execution in 1649, it seemingly disappeared. Salvator Mundi only reappeared in the early 20th century, when it was sold as a work by Leonardo follower Bernardino Luini.

Yves Bouvier, Swiss businessman and art dealer who purchased the painting in 2013, and sold it weeks later to Dmitry Rybolovlev. Bruce Lamarche, a business associate of Bouvier and expert in the activities of Freeports.

For many years it was part of their private chamber until 1649 when the king got executed, and the painting, along with other royal property was sold to settle the king's massive debts. John Stone, an architect, bought it for a meager sum of £30 but returned to the palace in 1660.

Leonardo da Vinci, Salvator Mundi. Courtesy of Christie's Images Ltd., 2017. After weeks of anticipation, it finally happened: Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi (circa 1500), billed as the last known painting by the Renaissance master in private hands, sold at Christie's for $450.3 million.

For many scholars, Revelation 1:14-15 offers a clue that Jesus's skin was a darker hue and that his hair was woolly in texture. The hairs of his head, it says, "were white as white wool, white as snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace.”

He appears here as an example of the most advanced Lombard pictorial culture, which Leonardo radically renewed with his presence. The Crucifixion, painted with the fresco technique – unlike the Last Supper – is still well preserved. The scene occupies the whole wall and is set within a simple architectural frame.

Rembrandt's early depictions of the face of Jesus

Rembrandt's body of work was focused mainly on two faces — his own face and the face of Jesus.

The Mona Lisa is priceless. Any speculative price (some say over a billion dollars!) would probably be so high that not one person would be able or willing to purchase and maintain the painting. Moreover, the Louvre Museum would probably never sell it.

Van Gogh produced numerous artworks during his lifetime, and each bears an unforgettable uniqueness. He has created some of the most recognizable pieces in art history, including the iconic The Starry Night (1889), estimated at between $70 million to $100 million.

It was acquired by King Francis I of France and is now the property of the French Republic. It has been on permanent display at the Louvre in Paris since 1797.

What is the most expensive paintings sold by living artist? ›

The highest price for a piece of art by a living artist was for Jasper Johns's 1958 painting Flag. It was sold privately for what is thought to be $110 million USD ($137 million in 2021 dollars).

Van Gogh's rolling night sky full of bright stars is probably one of the world's most famous artworks. The Starry Night's home is at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

$1 billion—Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night (1889)

The mere fact that it's worth an estimated $100 million is proof enough of its impact on viewers. Many would even go so far as to say that the painting is priceless! My own personal opinion on the art aside, though, let's take a deeper look at The Starry Night and what makes it so special.

The Mona Lisa hangs behind bulletproof glass in a gallery of the Louvre Museum in Paris, where it has been a part of the museum's collection since 1804. It was part of the royal collection before becoming the property of the French people during the Revolution (1787–99).

Gerhard Richter is at the very top of our list—the most famous living painter today. Born in 1932 in Dresden, Germany, Richter currently lives and works in Cologne, Germany.