Art collectors have never hesitated to pay big sums for paintings, especially those painted by famous artists. The artworks are fetching hundreds of millions in recent years, and it is unlikely that this trend will end anytime soon. Find out which are the 3 most expensive paintings of all time.
“The Card Players” by Paul Cézanne
Price: $250+ million
Greek shipping magnate George Embiricos sold “The Card Players,” painted by French Post-Impressionist Paul Cézanne, to the Royal Family of Qatar in 2011 for more than $250 million. The exact figure was disputed, but it was the highest paid price for a painting at the time, regardless. The artwork belongs to Cézanne’s series of five paintings that depict card players, with the other four being in museums.
“Interchange” by Willem de Kooning
Price: $300 million
“Interchange” is the work of Dutch-American abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning. The painting was completed in 1955 and was acquired by architect Edgar Kaufmann Jr. for $4,000 shortly after. In 1989, the painting was sold at an auction for $20.7 million, setting the record for the most expensive painting by a living artist. It was later acquired by David Geffen, founder of Geffen Records, who sold it to billionaire Kenneth C. Griffin in 2015 for around $300 million.
“Salvator Mundi” by Leonardo da Vinci
Price: $450.3 million
The undisputed most expensive painting of all time is “Salvator Mundi” by Leonardo da Vinci, for which Prince Badr bin Abdullah paid $450.3 million at an auction in 2017. This was despite the fact that the painting is surrounded by controversy. Its origins are greatly disputed in the art community, with many believing that either one of da Vinci’s pupils painted it themselves or that at least some parts of the painting were painted by someone other than the famous artist. Nevertheless, it remains the most expensive painting of all time.
