Top 10 Most Expensive Paintings Of All Time

Top 10 Most Expensive Paintings Of All Time

Millions and Hundreds of Millions of dollars are spent every year by the wealthy seeking a highly sought after piece of art.
Following is a list of the Top Ten Most Expensive Paintings of AllTime... and an explanation of what makes them so special and worth theexorbitant price.
DID YOU KNOW?

If Monalisa (in Louvre Museum, in Paris) paintingwas to be sold, it would be priced far above the price of the paintingson below list.
The Guinness Book of Record puts the Mona Lisa with the highest insurance value for a painting throughout history.
Insurance value is set at about U.S. $ 100 million on December 14, 1962, before exhibiting the picture was taken around the USA for several months.
($100 million back than is about $670 million in 2010. More then half a billion dollars! :-) )

10. Irises by Vincent Van Gogh : $53,900,000

Irises by Vincent Van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh painted this at Saint Paul de Mausole, Saint-Remy-de-Povence, France, in 1889, 1 year before his death.
In 1987, this painting is the most expensive painting at the time, when sold for $ 53.9 million to Alan Bond.
Finally then sold again to the Getty Museum in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, United States.

9. Femme aux Bras Croises by Pablo Picasso: $55,006,000

Femme aux Bras Croises by Pablo Picasso

This painting was painted in 1901 by Pablo Picasso, the days of“Blue Period” (1901-1904), during which Picasso had “darkness” and thesadness in his life.
The beauty and blue in his paintings at that time is dominant.
This painting sold for 55 million US dollars at auction at Christie’s Rockefeller, New York in December 8th 2000.

8. Rideau, Cruchon et Compotier by Paul Cezanne: $60,502,500

Rideau, Cruchon et Compotier by Paul Cezanne

This painting was painted by Paul Cezanne in 1893-1894 period.
Sold at auction in Sotheby’s, New York, at a price of $ 60.5 million on May 10, 1999.
The buyer is Whitneys family.
Whitney, who was born from a wealthy family, is a project financier, publisher, Hollywood film producer, and a philanthropist.

7. Portrait de l’Artiste Sans Barbe By Vincent Van Gogh: $71,502,496

Portrait de l'Artiste Sans Barbe by Vincent Van Gogh

Portrait de l'artiste sans barbe ("Self-portrait without beard") isone of many self-portraits by Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh.
He painted this one in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France in September 1889.
The painting is a oil painting on canvas and is 40 cm x 31 cm (16" x 13").
This is an uncommon painting since his other self-portraits show him with a beard.
The self-portrait became one of the most expensive paintings of alltime when it was sold for $71.5 million in 1998 in New York.

6. Massacre of the Innocents By Peter Paul Rubens: $ 76,700,000

Massacre of the Innocents by Peter Paul Rubens

Painted by Peter Paul Rubens, in the year 1611.
This painting sold for $76.7 million at Sotheby’s auction in 2002with the buyer named Kenneth Thomson, one of the richest businessman inCanada also British royal anchestor and a collector of paintings.

5. Bal Au Moulin de la Gallet By Pierre-Auguste Renoir: $ 78,000,000

Bal Au Moulin de la Gallet

Painted by French painter, Pierre Auguste Renoir in 1876.
On May 17, 1990, the painting was sold for $ 78 million inSotheby’s auction, purchased by Ryoei Saito who bought Vincent van Gogh“Portrait of Dr. Gachet” painting as well.

4. Portrait of Dr Gachet by Vincent van Gogh: $82,500,000

Portrait of Dr Gachet by Vincent Van Gogh

The painting that painted by this impressionis Dutch paintersuddenly became famous in the world when a Japanese businessman namedRyoei Saito bought it for $ 82.5 million in Christie’s auction place,New York.
Saito was so loved with this painting, so he wanted to be cremated with thispicture when he later died.
Saito died in 1996 but the picture remains safe, did not cremated with him.
Vincent van Gogh self portrait of Dr. Gachet’s have 2 versions,other versions are in the museums of Paris and very different colorpaintings owned by Saito.

3. Dora with Cat By Pablo Picasso: $95,200.000

Dora with Cat by Pablo Picasso

Painted by Pablo Picasso in 1941.
This self-portrait painting caused controversy, because one thinks that this picture describes her lover, Dora Maar, a photographer artist who became Picasso’s girlfriend for 10 years (1930 -1940).
This painting sold for $ 95.2 million  in the auction at Sotheby’s, dated May 3rd, 2006.

2. Garcon a la Pipe By Pablo Picasso: $ 104,100,000

Garcon a la Pipe by Pablo Picasso

This 100 x 81.3 cm dimension oil painting, is the work of Pablo Picasso (Spanish nationality).
It depicts a boy of the city of Paris holding the pipe in his right hand.
Painted in the “Rose Period” (1904-1906), during which Picasso paintings and brightly patterned predominantly orange and pink color.
This painting is not fashionable “cubist” like others paintings of Picasso.
Sold for $ 104.1 millions at Sotheby’s auction in New York, May 4th, 2004.

1. Portrait of Adele Bloch-Baeur By Gustav Klimt: $135,000,000

Portrait of Adele Bloch Baeur

Painted in 1907 by the Austrian painter Gustav Klimt.
This painting had confiscated by the Nazi Germany when the Nazis occupied Austria.
In 2006, a cosmetics entrepreneur named Ronard S. Lauder, bought the painting for $ 135 million.
The painting was later exhibited in his gallery, the Neue Galerie, New York.