15 of the Most Expensive Pieces of Art That Were Sold at Auction
The recent sale of the Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer by Gustav Klimt got our jaws open wide enough to get out there and swallow up more ridiculously expensive art. We’re not about to tell you how expensive it was, since that would ruin the surprise. What kind of dummies do you take us for?!
Sorry, we’re a little perturbed by the fact that we’ll never be able to afford art like this. Target’s art selection is pretty sweet, but it just doesn’t compare, ya know? Where were we? Okay, so let’s see where Mr. Klimt’s work ended up on this list of the most expensive art pieces of all time. It depressed us, but hey, maybe it’ll inspire you to get out there, make more money, and finally get yourself that Picasso for your dining room!
‘Orchard with Cypresses’ by Vincent van Gogh
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This 1888 work is one of 14 pictures that helped solidify Van Gogh’s post-Paris style. It sold for $117 million in November 2022, and was part of an extraordinary auction of Paul Allen’s collection, which amassed a record-breaking $1.5 billion in a single evening (making it the most valuable single-owner sale in auction history).
‘The Scream’ by Edvard Munch
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Created in 1985, it symbolizes existential dread and human anguish, and is one of the most iconic images in art history. The pastel-on-board version sold for $119,922,500 at Sotheby’s New York in May 2022. The identity of the buyer was not disclosed at the auction, but The Wall Street Journal reported that New York financier Leon Black purchased it over the phone.
‘Empire of Light’ by René Magritte
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The 1954 piece is said to be the finest example of a subject that Magritte revisited 27 times throughout his career. Coming from the collection of designer and philanthropist Mica Ertegun, it sold for $121 million at Christie’s New York in November 2024.
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Cézanne is said to be the father of Post-Impressionism and a major precursor to Cubism. His landscape of Mont Sainte-Victoire sold for $137.7 million at Christie’s New York in November 2022.
‘Woman With a Watch’ by Pablo Picasso
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Picasso’s painting of his lover, Marie-Thérèse Walter, was the crown jewel of the late Emily Fisher Landau’s collection. The painting depicts Walter, known as Picasso’s “golden muse,” and was created soon after the end of the secrecy around their affair. It sold for 139.4 million at Sotheby’s New York on November 8, 2023
‘Twelve Screens of Landscapes’ by Qi Baishi
Poly Beijing
Qi Baishi was said to be one of China’s most celebrated 20th-century painters who merged traditional Chinese ink techniques with expressive modern style. His large set of landscape screens was painted in 1925 and it sold for $140.8 million at Beijing’s Poly Auction in December 2017.
‘L’Homme au doigt’ by Alberto Giacometti
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The Swiss sculptor was known for slender, haunting human figures that symbolized existential isolation. His 1947 bronze standing figure was the most expensive sculpture ever sold at auction. In May of 2015, it sold for $141.3 million at Christie’s New York.
‘Three Studies of Lucian Freud’ by Francis Bacon
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Bacon was renowned for emotionally intense, distorted figurative style. This 1969 triptych portrays fellow artist Lucian Freud in 3 images, and at the time of its auction in 2013, its $142.4 million sale was the most expensive of all time.
‘Models’ (Small Version) by Georges Seurat
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Painted in 1888, it’s one of the rarest privately-owned works by Seurat, and it came from the collection of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. The bidding opened at $75 million, and after a heated back-and-forth, it sold for $130 million ($149 million) including fees.
‘Reclining Nude’ by Amedeo Modigliani
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Modigliani’s celebrated series of reclining nudes, between 1916 and 1919, was “influenced by Italian Renaissance representations of Venus and other idealized female figures.” When first exhibited in 1917 at Parisian dealer Berthe Weill’s gallery, these erotic paintings caused such a scandal that police shut down the show. This piece sold for $157.2 million at Sotheby’s New York in May 2018.
‘Nu couché' by Amedeo Modigliani
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The Italian artist based in Paris was “known for elongated, graceful figures and sensual nudes.” This piece was created between 1917 and 1918, and sold at Christie’s New York for $170.4 million.
‘Les Femmes d'Alger’ (Version O) by Pablo Picasso
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This 1955 painting is part of a series inspired by Delacroix and it is said that its high auction price reaffirmed Picasso’s dominance in the high-end art market. As his highest-priced piece, it went for $179.4 million at Christie’s New York in May 2015.
’Shot Sage Blue Marilyn’ by Andy Warhol
Warhol’s Pop Art transformed celebrities into high art in the 1960s. This 1964 Marilym silkscreen is said to “have captured Monroe’s fame and tragedy in vivid color.” It went for $195 million at Christie’s New York in May 2022.
‘Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer’ by Gustav Klimt
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The second most expensive artwork ever sold at auction (to date) was painted between 1914 and 1916, then looted by the Nazis and nearly destroyed in a fire during WWII. In November 2025, 6 bidders battled for 20 minutes at the Sotheby’s auction until it finally sold for a staggering $236.4 million.
’Salvator Mundi’ by Leonardo da Vinci
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Salvator Mundi (or “Savior of the World”) is a small oil-on-panel painting from roughly 1499 to 1510. It was believed to be long lost, but was rediscovered in 2005 and heavily restored. As one of the few surviving paintings by da Vinci, it became one of the most sought-after masterpieces and sold for an astounding $450,312,500 at Christie’s New York in November 2017. By far the most expensive piece ever sold.
