Painters and their paintings will always continue to be highly Delphic stuff. It is amusing how a few strokes can delve into such deep depths and form things which always remain elusive to an uncreative mind. Though the real worth of these paintings which encompass such enigmatic meanings can’t be gauged yet, the world has always tried to measure their greatness in terms of money. Thus, the most expensive paintings of all time have been considered as the most beautiful and creative masterpieces in history.
Here is a list of most expensive paintings of all time!
1. Salvator Mundi
Attributed to none other than the greatest of all Leonardo Da Vinci, Salvator Mundi (Savior of the world) is a painting of Christ. Initially, it was believed that the actual painting was lost, but then in 2005, this was rediscovered and restored in National Gallery, London. It is the only work of Da Vinci that is in private hands as it was sold for a whopping $450.3 million in New York on 15 November 2017. Thus, Salvator Mundi ranks number 1 in the list of most expensive paintings of all time.
2. Interchange
Just behind Salvator Mundi, the list of most expensive paintings of all time features ‘Interchange’. It is a famous work by Dutch-American painter Willen de Kooning. Kooning made this painting in the year 1955 when he was diving deep into the study of abstract expressionist studies of female figures. The interchange was one of Kooning’s first abstract landscapes and this indeed marked a complete change in Kooning’s painting style.
Though it was sold for $300 million in September 2015, Kooning himself sold it only for $4,000.
3. The Card Players
One of the most remarkable oil paintings ever, The Card Players is a series of five paintings by the French artist Paul Cezanne. Though these were painted during the start of Cezanne’s career, many critics consider them to be the cornerstone of his painting life. The actual models of the paintings are none other than local farmhands who used to work on Cezanne’s family estate. One version of The Card Players was sold in 2011 to the Royal Family of Qatar for $250-$266 million. Thus, becoming one of the most expensive paintings of all time.
4. Quand te maries-tu?
This exceptionally deep painting by the French artist Paul Gauguin is in itself a name in art. Quand te maries-tu? (When will you marry?) depicts the actual Tahitian culture and its primitive folks. Though Gauguin had traveled to this small French Polynesian island believing that he will get enough tranquility to draw, but upon reaching he came to know that Tahiti was not as he had imagined. The primitive culture had been destroyed by the colonizing Europeans. Notwithstanding this, Gauguin went deep into the woods to find the native of the island. He then drew extensively and thus “Quand te maries-tu?” came out. In February 2015, it became one of the most expensive paintings of all time as it was sold for approximately $210 million.
5. Number 17A
Number 17A is also one of the most expensive paintings of all time. If you can decipher this painting, you have got crazy logic skills. Famous abstract expressionist Paul Jackson Pollock was an introvert and struggled with alcoholism during his short life of just 44 years. But in those 44 years, Pollock painted with arcane beauty and dexterity. At the peak of his fame, he was called the greatest American painter ever lived. Number 17A is in itself a great classic that can never be replaced by any other work. In 2015, Number 17A was sold for a humongous $200 million.
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