Have you ever thought about how much the most expensive painting in the world costs? There are many paintings with a price of more than 1 million US dollars, but there are paintings that are worth from 100 million dollars. It is difficult to truly appreciate these masterpieces of world painting - almost all the authors of the most expensive paintings ever sold have passed away and will no longer be able to create something like this. And because of this, the price of these paintings simply increases with time. So, we present to your attention the TOP 10 most expensive paintings in the world.
10 PHOTOS
1. No. 5, 1948, Jackson Pollock - $140,000,000
No. 5, 1948 sold for $140 million when it was sold by David Geffen to David Martinez in 2006. The piece, made on an 8' x 5' fiber barrel, embodies the unique painting technique used by Pollock, one of the greatest expressionist painters. This is a typical Pollock painting, not very accessible in perception, but which is the basis of the evolution of modern art. Pollock was famous for a unique painting technique in which, after placing a canvas on the floor, he applied paint by making it drip from sticks, syringes, and hard brushes.
2. Masterpiece, Roy Lichtenstein - $165,000,000 Roy Lichtenstein is one of the pioneers of pop art culture. His most famous work, Masterpiece (1962) has some classic pop art and comic book elements. The painting was part of Lichtenstein's first exhibition at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles, which featured other works such as The Drowned Girl and Portrait of Madame Cezanne. Now, some critics have dismissed "Masterpiece" as just another understated and glamorous picture, while others believe the picture has a deeper meaning.
3. Reclining Nude, Amedeo Modigliani - $170,400,000 The Reclining Nude, also known as Red Nude or Rellining Nude, is a oil painting 1917 by Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani. The painting is a seamless fusion of classical idealism and modern sensibility. The painting of a naked woman lying on a sofa looks erotically realistic, but has a surreal, almost sublime beauty that draws the viewer in. There is nothing crude or vulgar in this picture. Instead, she is perceived as a sensual, aroused woman in her prime who is not afraid to give and demand physical pleasure.
4. Les Femmes d'Alger, Picasso - $179,400,000 In 2015, Les Femmes d'Alger Version O sold a painting for US$179.4 million to set the world record for the most expensive painting ever sold at auction. This painting is the culmination of a series of 15 works "Women of Algiers" by Picasso. This work perfectly demonstrates Picasso's penchant for creating pieces that have a vintage feel, yet remain completely fresh in approach.
5. No. 6, Mark Rothko - $186,000,000 Rothko's style is characterized by the use of large canvases and horizontal bands of bright colors. Here Rothko uses a spartan palette with the darkest shades on top, symbolizing the depression that haunted him.
6. No. 17A, 1948, Jackson Pollock - $200,000,000 Abstract Expressionism was a popular post-World War II art that emphasizes the subconscious and spontaneous creation. The work of Jackson Pollock belonged to this school of painting - his technique of dripping paint has its roots in the work of André Masson and Max Ernst. This piece of abstract work was created sometime in 1948 and featured in a 1947 Life magazine article.
7. When will you get married? Paul Gauguin, $210,000,000. In 1892, a painting by Paul Gauguin became the most expensive painting in the world. His painting of two Tahitian girls broke a world record in February 2015 when it was bought by Qatar museums from private Swiss collector Rudolf Stahelin for an astounding $300 million.
8. Card Players, Paul Cezanne, $250,000,000 The card players were purchased by the Qatar royal family from Greek shipping magnate George Embirikos for a whopping US$274 million.
9. Exchange, Willem de Kooning, $300,000,000. 10. Savior of the world, Leonardo da Vinci, $450,300,000 The Savior of the World was allegedly written by Leonardo da Vinci (many critics believe otherwise). The painting depicts Jesus Christ dressed in Renaissance robes and giving a blessing, holding a crystal ball in his left hand. The glass ball in the hand symbolizes the crystalline spheres of heaven - Christ is shown as the savior of the world and the master of the cosmos.
“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 extra words– 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 bridge in Japanese style 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 heroes lived in different time, but Rafael placed them all in one 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!
In the world of art, there is a huge number of works that shocked the whole world and, having broken the usual stereotypes, left an important mark on history. The creators of the world-famous masterpieces of painting threw down a kind of challenge to society, which changed its idea of beauty and pushed the established boundaries. Since there are many such revolutionary works in the history of art and it is impossible to cover them all, we decided to pay attention to the 10 most famous paintings by artists of different centuries.
Mona Lisa (Gioconda) - Leonardo da Vinci
Mona Lisa
The painting "Mona Lisa" ("La Gioconda") by Leonardo da Vinci is probably the most famous work of genius. This painting is truly beautiful and priceless. It is located in the Louvre Museum. A masterpiece was created in 1514 - 1515. Until recently, it was assumed that the picture was painted earlier - in 1503.
The painting depicts the wife of a silk merchant from Florence Francesco del Gioconda - Lisa Gherardini, so at first the Italians, and then the French, began to call the painting "La Gioconda". The famous 16th-century historian Giorgio Vasari was in awe of the portrait and in his book The Lives of Eminent Italian Architects, Sculptors and Painters, he called it an abbreviated version of the word madonna (“my mistress”) - Mona Lisa.
In the process of working on the picture, the artist, through careful composition, soft tones and painting techniques, achieved that harmony, thanks to which we see the image as if through an invisible haze. This light coating covers small details, softens outlines and creates an invisible transition between form and color. Leonardo da Vinci gave our imagination a lot, so Gioconda never ceases to amaze art connoisseurs for centuries, looking at us from the portrait, as if alive.
The picture is very difficult to describe in words: the longer the viewer looks at it, the more it affects him. He is imbued with its magnetism and begins to feel that alluring charm that has not ceased to conquer people all over the world for centuries.
Black Square - Kazimir Malevich
Kazimir Malevich's painting "The Black Suprematist Square", painted in 1915, still remains one of the most scandalous, well-known and discussed works in Russian art. This masterpiece is part of a series of Suprematist works by the artist, which also includes the paintings Black Circle and Black Cross. In this cycle, Malevich tried to explore the basic color and compositional possibilities.
The canvas is presented in the form of a small canvas with a width and length of 79.5 centimeters. The main background of the work is white, in the center there is an image of a large black square. According to the artist, he worked on the canvas for several months.
It is worth noting that Malevich did not come to painting immediately. Work on the scenery for the opera "Victory over the Sun" was a harbinger of its appearance. In particular, the master decided to replace one of the decorations (the sun) with a black square. As conceived by the artist, this technique would help him convey the idea of the triumph of human creativity over nature.
Critics reacted ambiguously to this work by Malevich. Some of them even argued that the painting is a modern alternative to icons, that the canvas testifies to the search for some new religion, to the chaos of the world. According to the artist himself, the "Black Square" is a kind of symbol of the pinnacle of art and at the same time its end.
It remains indisputable that the picture depicts a mysterious abyss that draws in and gives an endless flight of fantasy.
Self Portrait with Crown of Thorns and Hummingbird by Frida Kahlo
The famous painting of the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo "Self-portrait with a crown of thorns and a hummingbird" was written in 1940. This self-portrait of a brilliant woman expresses the severe emotional pain that she experienced after her divorce from her husband, artist Diego Rivera. This pain is transmitted in the form of thorns that bind her neck. Subsequently, after breaking up with her husband, Frida Kahlo said: “There were two accidents in my life,” Frida said. - The first is a tram, the second is Diego. The second one is scarier.
Scream – Edvard Munch
The Scream by Norwegian Expressionist Edvard Munch was created between 1893 and 1910. First of all, the figure of a screaming man depicted in the center of the canvas is striking. On a face twisted with horror, the viewer sees boundless despair on the verge of insanity. The artist conveyed powerful human emotions with fairly simple means.
The Scream is a symbol of expressionism, a kind of prelude to the art of the 20th century. Munch's work is still one of the most extraordinary and mysterious in world painting today. Some experts even suggest that the plot of the work is the fruit of an unhealthy imagination of a mentally ill person.
The audience also sees it differently: someone personifies it with a premonition of a catastrophe, someone believes that the author painted the picture, inspired by the image of a mummy. Everyone sees something different in her.
Girl with a Pearl Earring - Jan Vermeer
The famous work of the Dutch artist Jan Vermeer "Girl with a Pearl Earring" ("Girl in a Turban") is often called the Dutch Mona Lisa. The painting was painted around 1665. Little is known about this canvas. There are several versions of who is depicted in the picture, whether the author painted it to order and who was the customer. According to one of them, Vermeer captured his daughter Maria on the canvas.
Definitely, this is an unusual work, with unique dynamics. The artist conveyed in the work the moment when the model turns her head and looks at the one she just noticed. The author drew the viewer's attention to the pearl earring in the girl's ear. The master managed to convey the connection between a young woman and an artist. Her figure lives a separate life, and her head looks the other way.
Self-portrait with cut off ear and pipe by Vincent van Gogh
The Dutch and French artist Vincent van Gogh painted his famous “Self-Portrait with a Cut-Off Ear and Pipe” in 1889 while in Arles. The artist suffered from a mental illness due to his heightened perception of reality and mental imbalance.
The portrait was painted after Van Gogh, in a fit of madness, cut off his earlobe after a quarrel with Gauguin over creative differences. Van Gogh first threw a glass at the artist's head, then rushed at him with a razor. That same evening, he mutilated himself.
Having examined the picture, we will notice that the background is divided into two equal parts: the lower zone is red, the upper one is orange with yellow splashes. The author portrayed himself with distorted features and a lost look.
The Last Supper - Salvador Dali
The famous master of surrealism Salvador Dali created his "Last Supper" in 1955. The painting is in the Washington National Gallery. The artist wrote this work with a complex technique using photographic materials. The painting depicts a traditional plot, conveyed from the point of view of futurism.
Dali depicted Jesus Christ and his followers gathered at the same table. The work echoes and contrasts vividly with the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci. However, on Dali’s canvas, the setting and characters are different, depicted with minimalism and authenticity.
The picture carries a kind of moral message to the viewer. The work is filled with light and lightness. From the windows depicted on it, we see an incredibly beautiful landscape with a clear blue sky and silvery mountain ranges.
Olympia - Edouard Manet
Olympia - Edouard Manet
The painting "Olympia" was painted by the French impressionist Edouard Manet in 1863. It rightfully takes pride of place next to other masterpieces of world painting.
However, in 1865, there was a loud scandal at the Paris Salon because of this work. The fact is that before Manet, naked women were depicted in paintings as a standard of spiritual beauty. And this work of Manet was recognized as physically ugly and depraved. For reasons of morality, artists were allowed to depict naked only the heroines of ancient myths, historical or biblical figures. Whereas the Impressionist broke this rule.
His Olympia was considered to be a representative of the “oldest profession”, who had just received a bouquet from her lover. The very name of the painting was not accepted by society either, since this name was given to corrupt women, and insulting ridicule rained down on the artist.
Dora Maar with a cat - Pablo Picasso
Dora Maar with a cat
One of the most expensive paintings in the world - "Dora Maar with a cat" by Pablo Picasso - was painted by the artist in 1941. It depicts the artist's beloved Dora Maar, sitting on a chair with a small cat on her shoulder.
In almost all Picasso's paintings, Dora looks creepy, this is due to the fact that they were written during a difficult period of their relationship. Besides World War left its mark on the life and work of the Spanish master. The relationship between Dora Maar and Pablo Picasso was by no means romantic, rather, it was a union of two creative personalities.
In the work "Dora Maar with a cat", the artist emphasized the sharpness of the nails through the image of a black cat.
One: Number 31 - Jackson Pollock
In the late 1940s, the American artist Jackson Pollock invented a new technique in painting - he painted on large canvases, placing them on the floor. His paintings were created by spraying paint from brushes, he did not touch them to the canvas.
In working on his paintings, he used sticks, shovels, knives and pouring paint, or mixed paint with sand, broken glass.
