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contemporary art for last years significantly increased in price: today the most expensive paintings in the world are the paintings of the classics abstract painting, artists Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, acquired for $145 million and $140 million, respectively.
no. 5 Jackson Pollock $140.0 million (Sotheby's)
The painting of the famous American abstract artist Jackson Pollock sold for $140 million - this news was spread by The New York Times. The canvas "Number 5" became not only the most expensive painting in the world, but also the first work of post-war art to take this place. Jackson Pollock became famous as the inventor of "action painting" (action painting), which also corresponded to his bohemian lifestyle. A few years ago, in Hollywood, his biography was filmed, which in terms of drama is not much inferior to Van Gogh's biography. Jackson Pollock poured and splattered paint on the canvas, counting the spontaneous creative process more important than the result. "Number 5", a non-objective painting measuring 1.5 x 2.5 m, painted on fiberboard in 1948, is a classic example of this method. The canvas is evenly covered with brown and yellow drops, in which, like in Rorschach dough blots, everyone can see what they want.
Woman III Willem de Kooning $137.5 million
This work is part of a series of paintings by the abstract artist Willem de Kooning in a semi-realistic style. Created in 1953, the painting is currently the only job from this series, located in a private collection. Since the 1970s, the painting has been the property of the Tehran Museum. contemporary art, and in 1994 was sold into private hands and taken out of the country. In 2006, owner David Geffen sold Woman III to American billionaire Stephen Cohen.
Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I Gustav Klimt $135.0
Also known as "Golden Adele" or "Austrian Mona Lisa". The painting is considered one of Klimt's most significant paintings. In 1903, during a trip to Italy, the artist was inspired by the richly decorated church mosaics in Ravenna and Venice, ancient language which he transferred to modern forms visual arts. He experimented with various techniques painting in order to give the surface of their work a new look. In addition to oil painting, he used the technique of relief and gilding.
Modern artists are divided into two types, those who draw well and those who draw incomprehensibly. The most interesting thing is that the first category, as a rule, is rarely recognized during his lifetime, but the second, on the contrary, is already earning millions on his masterpieces, which are little understood by anyone. We offer you a selection of the most expensive works contemporary art.
"Spatial concept" Lucho Fountain — $1,500,000
"Untitled" Mark Rothko - $28,000,000
The Blue Fool Christopher Wool - $5,000,000
"White Fire I" Barnett Newman - $3,800,000
"Untitled" Cy Twombly - $2,300,000
Canvas "Untitled" or "Stofbild" Blink Palermo - $ 1,700,000
Loved art or vice versa do not understand why people spend a lot of money to buy paintings and drawings? SMEs have put together a list of the most expensive paintings in the world with prices and photos, so that you can appreciate the quality of execution and the meaning of masterpieces.
This picture is a blue rectangle, located on top of the red beam. This work was written in the interval between "Black Square" and "White Suprematism".
No. 25. Kazimir Malevich, "Suprematist composition" (1916)
On November 3, 2008, at a Sotheby's auction in New York, the painting was sold to an unknown buyer for $60,002,500, thus becoming one of the most expensive paintings ever painted by a Russian artist.
It is believed that it is this vividly painted still life that is the ancestor of such a trend as cubism.
No. 24. Paul Cezanne, "Still life with jug and drapery" (1893-1894)
And this painting found its buyer in 1998 and was sold for $60,503,000.
Andy Warhol can be safely called an icon of modern art, because his paintings are sold more expensive than famous classics, such as Picasso or Van Gogh.
No. 23 Andy Warhol, The Men in Her Life (1962)
A black-and-white collage of photographs of Elizabeth Taylor, her third husband Mike Todd and future husband Eddie Fisher in 2010 at the Phillips de Pury & Co New York auction, bought by an anonymous buyer for $63,400,000.
The first artist in the world to be awarded the "Imperial Prize" for "the achievement, the international impact that he has made with his art, the spiritual enrichment of the entire world community."
No. 22. Willem de Kooning, "Police Gazette" (1955)
22nd place of the most expensive paintings in the world is occupied by an abstract canvas that flew away from Christie's auction like a hot pie for 63,500,000 dollars!
A well-known American artist, whose works are always written in such detail that it is almost impossible to distinguish them from a photograph.
No. 21. Thomas Eakins, Gross Clinic (1875)
The painting depicts famed Philadelphia surgeon Samuel Gross supervising an operation to remove part of a bone from a patient's thigh in front of a student-filled amphitheater at a medical academy whose realism caused a scandal and notable PR for the canvas. The picture was taken $68,000,000 in 2007!
No. 20. Amedeo Modigliani, "Seated nude on a sofa" (1917)
Although Sotheby's did not officially announce the sale of this painting before the start of the auction, as many as 5 buyers fought for it. The new owner got it for just 68,900,000 dollars!
Part of a series of 7 paintings on mythological themes commissioned by Philip II of Spain.
No. 19. Titian, "Diana and Actaeon" (1556-1559)
At that time, such paintings were considered depraved and they were specially hung with curtains in the presence of ladies. Erotica of the 16th century in 2009 was bought for $70,600,000.
No. 18. Vincent van Gogh, "Portrait of an Artist Without a Beard" (1889)
We continue the list of the most expensive paintings in the world, where the master of painterly strokes, Van Gogh, took pride of place, for $71,501,000 received in 1998.
The photograph is part of a series depicting tragic car accidents. Specifically, this is a burning car in Seattle.
No. 17. Andy Warhol, Green Car Crash (1963)
The real car accident, immortalized in the picture, went under the hammer for $71,720,000.
One of the main ideologues in American abstract expressionism, Rothko could not stand when his work was called abstract.
No. 16. Mark Rothko, "White Center" (1950)
An amazing bright and juicy combination of colors, ease of exposure and life principles bring the author $72,800,000 and also included it in the ranking of the most expensive paintings in the world.
As many as 4 buyers fought for one of the most cruel plots of the New Testament.
No. 15. Peter Paul Rubens, Massacre of the Innocents (1609-1611)
At Sotheby's in London in July 2002, the painting was purchased by Canadian businessman and collector Kenneth Thompson, son of newspaper tycoon Lord Thompson, former owner London Times, for $76,700,000.
As the writer Octave Mirbo said: "This is the only artist who has not written a single sad picture in his life."
No. 14. Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Ball at the Moulin de la Galette (1876)
The honorary 12th place of the most expensive paintings in the world is occupied by this one, the owner of the masterpiece was Ryoei Saito, chairman of Daishowa Paper Manufacturing Co. $78,100,000.. He wanted the work to be cremated with him after his death, but due to financial difficulties, it had to be used as collateral.
There are five versions of Marilyn in different colors, but for some reason "Turquoise Marilyn" has become the most expensive.
No. 13. Andy Warhol, "Turquoise Marilyn" (1964)
Price in $80,000,000 not accidental, because it is this work that is considered to be an icon of pop art, and Andy Warhol is the founder of pop art.
American artist working in the genres of abstract expressionism and pop art.
No. 12 Jasper Johns, "False Start" (1959)
The painting belonged to David Geffen, who sold it to CEO Citadel Investment Group, Kenneth S. Griffin, for $80,000,000. It is recognized as the most expensive painting that was sold during the life of the artist.
The painting was painted by the master of impressionism in 1919, shortly before he developed cataracts.
No. 11. Claude Monet, "Pond with water lilies" (1919)
One of 60 similar canvases called "Waters" at Sotheby's auction was sold for $80,500,000.
It was this person who monitored the artist's health before his death.
No. 10. Vincent van Gogh, "Portrait of Dr. Gachet" (1890)
The same Japanese businessman Ryoei Saito, who wanted to cremate himself with paintings, bought this work for $82,500,000. When asked why burn masterpieces with him, he explained that this is the only way he can express his selfless affection for the picture.
Francis Bacon is perhaps one of the darkest artists of the 20th century.
No. 8. Pablo Picasso, "Portrait of Dora Maar" (1941)
In 2006, a mysterious Russian anonym for $96,200,000., buying at the same time the works of Monet and Chagall total cost 100 million dollars.
"Card Players"
Author
Paul Cezanne
Country France
Years of life 1839–1906
Style post-impressionism
The artist was born in the south of France in the small town of Aix-en-Provence, but began painting in Paris. Real success came to him after a solo exhibition organized by the collector Ambroise Vollard. In 1886, 20 years before his departure, he moved to the outskirts of his native city. Young artists called trips to him "a pilgrimage to Aix".
130x97 cm
1895
price
$250 million
sold in 2012
at private auction
Cezanne's work is easy to understand. The only rule of the artist was the direct transfer of the subject or plot to the canvas, so his paintings do not cause bewilderment of the viewer. Cezanne combined in his art two main French traditions: classicism and romanticism. With the help of colorful texture, he gave the form of objects an amazing plasticity.
A series of five paintings "Card Players" was written in 1890-1895. Their plot is the same - several people are enthusiastically playing poker. The works differ only in the number of players and the size of the canvas.
Four paintings are kept in museums in Europe and America (the Musée d'Orsay, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Barnes Foundation and the Courtauld Institute of Art), and the fifth, until recently, was an adornment of the private collection of the Greek billionaire shipowner George Embirikos. Shortly before his death, in the winter of 2011, he decided to put it up for sale. Potential buyers of Cezanne's "free" work were art dealer William Aquavella and world-famous gallery owner Larry Gagosian, who offered about $220 million for it. As a result, the picture got royal family the Arab state of Qatar for 250 million. The largest art deal in the history of painting was closed in February 2012. This was reported to Vanity Fair by journalist Alexandra Pierce. She found out the cost of the painting and the name of the new owner, and then the information penetrated the media around the world.
In 2010, the Arab Museum of Modern Art and the Qatar National Museum opened in Qatar. Now their collections are growing. Perhaps the fifth version of The Card Players was acquired by the sheik for this purpose.
The mostexpensive picturein the world
Owner
Sheikh Hamad
bin Khalifa al-Thani
The al-Thani dynasty has ruled Qatar for over 130 years. About half a century ago, huge reserves of oil and gas were discovered here, which instantly made Qatar one of the richest regions in the world. Thanks to the export of hydrocarbons, this small country recorded the largest GDP per capita. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani seized power in 1995, while his father was in Switzerland, with the support of family members. The merit of the current ruler, according to experts, is in a clear strategy for the development of the country, creating a successful image of the state. Qatar now has a constitution and a prime minister, and women have gained the right to vote in parliamentary elections. By the way, it was the Emir of Qatar who founded the Al Jazeera news channel. The authorities of the Arab state pay great attention to culture.
2
"Number 5"
Author
Jackson Pollock
Country USA
Years of life 1912–1956
Style abstract expressionism
Jack the Sprinkler - such a nickname was given to Pollock by the American public for his special painting technique. The artist abandoned the brush and easel, and poured the paint on the surface of the canvas or fiberboard during continuous movement around and inside them. FROM early years he was fond of the philosophy of Jiddu Krishnamurti, the main message of which is that the truth is revealed during a free "outpouring".
122x244 cm
1948
price
$140 million
sold in 2006 year
on the auction Sotheby's
The value of Pollock's work is not in the result, but in the process. The author did not accidentally call his art "action painting". With his light hand, it became the main asset of America. Jackson Pollock mixed paint with sand broken glass, but wrote with a piece of cardboard, a palette knife, a knife, a scoop. The artist was so popular that in the 1950s there were even imitators in the USSR. The painting "Number 5" is recognized as one of the strangest and most expensive in the world. One of the founders of DreamWorks, David Geffen, bought it for a private collection, and in 2006 sold it at Sotheby`s for $140 million to Mexican collector David Martinez. However, the law firm soon issued a press release on behalf of its client stating that David Martinez was not the owner of the painting. Only one thing is known for certain: the Mexican financier is really in recent times collected works of modern art. It is unlikely that he would have missed such a "big fish" as Pollock's "Number 5".
3
"Woman III"
Author
Willem de Kooning
Country USA
Years of life 1904–1997
Style abstract expressionism
A native of the Netherlands, he emigrated to the United States in 1926. In 1948 took place personal exhibition artist. Art critics appreciated the complex, nervous black and white compositions, recognizing in their author a great modernist artist. For most of his life he suffered from alcoholism, but the joy of creating new art is felt in every work. De Kooning is distinguished by the impulsiveness of painting, broad strokes, which is why sometimes the image does not fit within the boundaries of the canvas.
121x171 cm
1953
price
$137 million
sold in 2006 year
at private auction
In the 1950s, women with empty eyes, massive breasts, and ugly features appear in de Kooning's paintings. "Woman III" became latest work from this series, bidding.
Since the 1970s, the painting has been kept in the Tehran Museum of Modern Art, but after the introduction of strict moral rules in the country, they sought to get rid of it. In 1994, the work was taken out of Iran, and 12 years later, its owner David Geffen (the same producer who sold Jackson Pollock's "Number 5") sold the painting to millionaire Stephen Cohen for $137.5 million. It is interesting that in one year Geffen began to sell his collection of paintings. This gave rise to a lot of rumors: for example, that the producer decided to buy the Los Angeles Times.
At one of the art forums, an opinion was expressed about the similarity of "Woman III" with the painting by Leonardo da Vinci "Lady with an Ermine". Behind the toothy smile and shapeless figure of the heroine, the connoisseur of painting discerned the grace of a person of royal blood. This is also evidenced by the poorly traced crown crowning the head of a woman.
4
"Portrait of AdeleBloch-Bauer I"
Author
Gustav Klimt
Country Austria
Years of life 1862–1918
Style modern
Gustav Klimt was born into the family of an engraver and was the second of seven children. Three sons of Ernest Klimt became artists, and only Gustav became famous all over the world. He spent most of his childhood in poverty. After the death of his father, he was responsible for the entire family. It was at this time that Klimt developed his style. Before his paintings, any viewer freezes: under the thin strokes of gold, frank eroticism is clearly visible.
138x136 cm
1907
price
$135 million
sold in 2006 year
on the auction Sotheby's
The fate of the painting, which is called " Austrian Mona Lisa", could easily become the basis for a bestseller. The work of the artist became the cause of the conflict of the whole state and one elderly lady.
So, the “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” depicts an aristocrat, the wife of Ferdinand Bloch. Her last will was to transfer the picture to the Austrian state gallery. However, Bloch canceled the donation in his will, and the Nazis expropriated the painting. Later, the gallery hardly bought out the Golden Adele, but then the heiress appeared - Maria Altman, Ferdinand Bloch's niece.
In 2005, the high-profile trial "Maria Altman against the Republic of Austria" began, as a result of which the picture "left" with her to Los Angeles. Austria took unprecedented measures: loans were negotiated, the population donated money to buy the portrait. Good never conquered evil: Altman raised the price to $300 million. At the time of the trial, she was 79 years old, and she went down in history as the person who changed the will of Bloch-Bauer in favor of personal interests. The painting was purchased by Ronald Lauder, owner of the New Gallery in New York, where it remains to this day. Not for Austria, for him Altman reduced the price to $135 million.
5
"Scream"
Author
Edvard Munch
Country Norway
Years of life 1863–1944
Style expressionism
Munch's first painting, which became famous all over the world, "The Sick Girl" (exists in five copies) is dedicated to the artist's sister, who died of tuberculosis at the age of 15. Munch has always been interested in the theme of death and loneliness. In Germany, his heavy, manic painting even provoked a scandal. However, despite the depressing plots, his paintings have a special magnetism. Take at least "Scream".
73.5x91 cm
1895
price
$119.992 million
sold in 2012
on the auction Sotheby's
The full name of the painting is Der Schrei der Natur (translated from German as “the cry of nature”). The face of either a person or an alien expresses despair and panic - the viewer experiences the same emotions when looking at the picture. One of key works expressionism warns the themes that have become acute in the art of the 20th century. According to one version, the artist created it under the influence mental disorder who suffered all his life.
The painting was stolen twice from different museums but it was returned. Slightly damaged after the theft, The Scream was restored and was ready to be shown again at the Munch Museum in 2008. For representatives of pop culture, the work became a source of inspiration: Andy Warhol created a series of its prints-copies, and the mask from the movie "Scream" was made in the image and likeness of the hero of the picture.
For one plot, Munch wrote four versions of the work: the one in a private collection is made in pastel. Norwegian billionaire Petter Olsen put it up for auction on May 2, 2012. The buyer was Leon Black, who did not regret for "Scream" a record amount. Founder of Apollo Advisors, L.P. and Lion Advisors, L.P. known for his love of art. Black is a patron of Dartmouth College, the Museum of Modern Art, the Lincoln Art Center, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He possesses largest collection paintings contemporary artists and classical masters of past centuries.
6
"Nude against the background of a bust and green leaves"
Author
Pablo Picasso
Country Spain, France
Years of life 1881–1973
Style cubism
By origin he is a Spaniard, but in spirit and place of residence he is a real Frenchman. own art studio Picasso discovered in Barcelona when he was only 16 years old. Then he went to Paris and spent most life. That is why there is a double stress in his last name. The style invented by Picasso is based on the denial of the opinion that the object depicted on the canvas can be viewed from only one angle.
130x162 cm
1932
price
$106.482 million
sold in 2010 year
on the auction Christie's
During his work in Rome, the artist met the dancer Olga Khokhlova, who soon became his wife. He put an end to vagrancy, moved with her to luxury apartment. By that time, recognition had found a hero, but the marriage was destroyed. One of the most expensive paintings in the world was created almost by accident - according to Great love, which, as always with Picasso, was short-lived. In 1927, he became interested in the young Marie-Therese Walter (she was 17 years old, he was 45). Secretly from his wife, he left with his mistress for a town near Paris, where he painted a portrait depicting Marie-Therese in the image of Daphne. The painting was purchased by New York dealer Paul Rosenberg and sold in 1951 to Sidney F. Brody. The Brodys showed the painting to the world only once, and only because the artist was 80 years old. After her husband's death, Mrs. Brody put the work up for auction at Christie's in March 2010. In six decades, the price has risen more than 5,000 times! An unknown collector bought it for $106.5 million. In 2011, a “one-painting exhibition” was held in Britain, where it saw the light for the second time, but the name of the owner is still unknown.
7
"Eight Elvises"
Author
Andy Warhole
Country USA
Years of life 1928-1987
Style
pop Art
“Sex and parties are the only places where you need to appear in person,” said the cult pop artist, director, and one of the founders of Interview magazine, designer Andy Warhol. He worked with Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, designed record covers, and designed shoes for I.Miller. In the 1960s, paintings appeared depicting the symbols of America: Campbell`s soup and Coca-Cola, Presley and Monroe - which made him a legend.
358x208 cm
1963
price
$100 million
sold in 2008
at private auction
Warhol's 60s - the so-called era of pop art in America. In 1962, he worked in Manhattan at the Factory Studio, where all the bohemia of New York gathered. Its brightest representatives: Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Truman Capote and other well-known personalities in the world. At the same time, Warhol tried the technique of silk-screen printing - multiple repetitions of one image. He also used this method when creating "Eight Elvises": the viewer seems to see frames from a movie where the star comes to life. Everything that the artist loved so much is here: a win-win public image, silver color and a premonition of death as the main message.
There are two art dealers promoting Warhol's work on the world market today: Larry Gagosian and Alberto Mugrabi. The first in 2008 spent $200 million to purchase more than 15 Warhol works. The second buys and sells his paintings like Christmas cards, only more expensive. But it was not them, but the humble French art consultant Philippe Segalo who helped Roman art connoisseur Annibale Berlinghieri sell the Eight Elvises to an unknown buyer for a Warhol-record $100 million.
8
"Orange,Red Yellow"
Author
Mark Rothko
Country USA
Years of life 1903–1970
Style abstract expressionism
One of the creators of color field painting was born in Dvinsk, Russia (now Daugavpils, Latvia), in a large family of a Jewish pharmacist. In 1911 they emigrated to the USA. Rothko studied at the art department of Yale University, achieved a scholarship, but anti-Semitic sentiments forced him to leave his studies. Despite everything, art critics idolized the artist, and museums pursued him all his life.
206x236 cm
1961
price
$86.882 million
sold in 2012
on the auction Christie's
First artistic experiments Rothko were of a surrealistic orientation, but over time he simplified the plot to color spots, depriving them of any objectivity. At first they had bright colors, and in the 1960s they were filled with brown, purple, thickening to black by the time of the artist's death. Mark Rothko warned against looking for any meaning in his paintings. The author wanted to say exactly what he said: only the color that dissolves in the air, and nothing more. He recommended looking at the works from a distance of 45 cm, so that the viewer is "dragged" into the color, like into a funnel. Caution: viewing in accordance with all the rules can lead to the effect of meditation, that is, the awareness of infinity gradually comes, complete immersion in oneself, relaxation, purification. The color in his paintings lives, breathes and has a strong emotional impact (sometimes it is said to be healing). The artist said: "The viewer should cry looking at them" - and there really were such cases. According to Rothko's theory, at this moment people live the same spiritual experience that he had in the process of working on the picture. If you managed to understand it at such a subtle level, then do not be surprised that these works of abstractionism are often compared by critics with icons.
The work "Orange, Red, Yellow" expresses the essence of Mark Rothko's painting. Its initial cost at Christie's auction in New York is 35-45 million dollars. An unknown buyer offered a price twice the estimate. The name of the happy owner of the painting, as is often the case, was not disclosed.
9
"Triptych"
Author
Francis Bacon
Country
Great Britain
Years of life 1909–1992
Style expressionism
The adventures of Francis Bacon, a full namesake and, moreover, a distant descendant of the great philosopher, began when his father disowned him, unable to accept his son's homosexual inclinations. Bacon went first to Berlin, then to Paris, and then his traces are confused all over Europe. Even during his lifetime, his works were exhibited in the leading cultural centers of the world, including the Guggenheim Museum and the Tretyakov Gallery.
147.5x198 cm (each)
1976
price
$86.2 million
sold in 2008
on the auction Sotheby's
Prestigious museums strove to possess paintings by Bacon, but the prim English public was in no hurry to fork out for such art. The legendary British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said of him: "The man who paints these horrific pictures."
The starting period in his work, the artist himself considered postwar period. Returning from the service, he again took up painting and created the main masterpieces. Prior to the participation of "Triptych, 1976" in the auction, Bacon's most expensive work was "Study for a Portrait of Pope Innocent X" (52.7 million dollars). In the "Triptych, 1976" the artist depicted the mythical plot of the persecution of Orestes by the furies. Of course, Orestes is Bacon himself, and the furies are his torments. For more than 30 years, the painting was in a private collection and did not participate in exhibitions. This fact gives her special value and consequently increases the cost. But what is a few million for a connoisseur of art, and even generous in Russian? Roman Abramovich began to create his collection in the 1990s, in this he was significantly influenced by his girlfriend Dasha Zhukova, who became modern Russia fashion gallery owner. According to unofficial data, the businessman owns works by Alberto Giacometti and Pablo Picasso, bought for amounts exceeding $100 million. In 2008, he became the owner of the Triptych. By the way, in 2011, another valuable work by Bacon was acquired - "Three sketches for a portrait of Lucian Freud." Hidden sources say that Roman Arkadievich again became the buyer.
10
"Pond with water lilies"
Author
Claude Monet
Country France
Years of life 1840–1926
Style impressionism
The artist is recognized as the founder of impressionism, who "patented" this method in his canvases. The first significant work was the painting "Breakfast on the Grass" ( original version works of Edouard Manet). In his youth, he drew caricatures, and took up real painting during his travels along the coast and on outdoors. In Paris, he led a bohemian lifestyle and did not leave it even after serving in the army.
210x100 cm
1919
price
$80.5 million
sold in 2008
on the auction Christie's
Besides the fact that Monet was a great artist, he was also enthusiastically engaged in gardening, adored wildlife and flowers. In his landscapes, the state of nature is momentary, objects seem to be blurred by the movement of air. The impression is enhanced by large strokes, from a certain distance they become invisible and merge into a textured, volumetric image. In the painting of the late Monet, a special place is occupied by the theme of water and life in it. In the town of Giverny, the artist had his own pond, where he grew water lilies from seeds specially brought by him from Japan. When their flowers bloomed, he began to paint. The Water Lilies series consists of 60 works that the artist painted over almost 30 years, until his death. His vision deteriorated with age, but he did not stop. Depending on the wind, season and weather, the view of the pond was constantly changing, and Monet wanted to capture these changes. Through careful work, an understanding of the essence of nature came to him. Some of the paintings of the series are kept in the leading galleries of the world: National Museum Western art(Tokyo), Orangerie (Paris). The version of the next "Pond with water lilies" went into the hands of an unknown buyer for a record amount.
11
False Star t
Author
Jasper Johns
Country USA
Year of birth 1930
Style pop Art
In 1949, Jones entered the design school in New York. Along with Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and others, he is recognized as one of the main artists of the 20th century. In 2012, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States.
137.2x170.8 cm
1959
price
$80 million
sold in 2006 year
at private auction
Like Marcel Duchamp, Jones worked with real objects, depicting them on canvas and in sculpture in full accordance with the original. For his works, he used simple and understandable objects for everyone: a beer bottle, a flag or maps. There is no clear composition in the False Start picture. The artist seems to be playing with the viewer, often “incorrectly” signing the colors in the picture, turning the very concept of color upside down: “I wanted to find a way to depict the color so that it could be determined by some other method.” His most explosive and "insecure", according to critics, painting was acquired by an unknown buyer.
12
"Seatednakedon the sofa"
Author
Country Italy, France
Years of life 1884–1920
Style expressionism
Modigliani was often ill from childhood, during a feverish delirium, he recognized his destiny as an artist. He studied drawing in Livorno, Florence, Venice, and in 1906 he left for Paris, where his art flourished.
65x100 cm
1917
price
$68.962 million
sold in 2010 year
on the auction Sotheby's
In 1917, Modigliani met 19-year-old Jeanne Hebuterne, who became his model and later his wife. In 2004, one of her portraits sold for $31.3 million, the last record before the sale of Seated Nude on a Sofa in 2010. The painting was purchased by an unknown buyer for the maximum for Modigliani on this moment price. Active sales of works began only after the death of the artist. He died in poverty, suffering from tuberculosis, and the next day, Jeanne Hebuterne, who was nine months pregnant, also committed suicide.
13
"Eagle on a Pine"
Author
Qi Baishi
Country China
Years of life 1864–1957
Style guohua
Interest in calligraphy led Qi Baishi to paint. At the age of 28, he became a student of the artist Hu Qingyuan. The Ministry of Culture of China awarded him the title of "Great Artist Chinese people", in 1956 he received International Prize peace.
10x26 cm
1946
price
$65.4 million
sold in 2011
on the auction China Guardian
Qi Baishi was interested in those manifestations of the surrounding world, which many do not attach importance to, and this is his greatness. A man without education became a professor and an outstanding creator in history. Pablo Picasso said about him: "I'm afraid to go to your country, because there is Qi Baishi in China." The composition "Eagle on a Pine" is recognized as the most major work artist. In addition to the canvas, it includes two hieroglyphic scrolls. For China, the amount for which the product was bought is a record - 425.5 million yuan. Only the scroll of the ancient calligrapher Huang Tingjian was sold for 436.8 million dollars.
14
"1949-A-#1"
Author
Clifford Still
Country USA
Years of life 1904–1980
Style abstract expressionism
At the age of 20, he visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and was disappointed. Later, he signed up for a student arts league course, but left 45 minutes after the start of the class - it turned out to be “not his”. The first personal exhibition caused a resonance, the artist found himself, and with it recognition
79x93 cm
1949
price
$61.7 million
sold in 2011
on the auction Sotheby's
All his works, which are more than 800 canvases and 1600 works on paper, Still bequeathed to the American city, where a museum named after him will be opened. Denver became such a city, but only the construction was expensive for the authorities, and four works were put up for auction to complete it. Still's works are unlikely to be auctioned ever again, which raised their price in advance. Painting "1949-A-No.1" sold for a record amount for the artist, although experts predicted the sale of a maximum of 25-35 million dollars.
15
"Suprematist composition"
Author
Kazimir Malevich
Country Russia
Years of life 1878–1935
Style Suprematism
Malevich studied painting in the Kyiv art school, then at the Moscow Academy of Arts. In 1913, he began to paint abstract geometric paintings in a style that he called Suprematism (from Latin “dominance”).
71x 88.5 cm
1916
price
$60 million
sold in 2008
on the auction Sotheby's
The painting was kept in the city museum of Amsterdam for about 50 years, but after a 17-year dispute with Malevich's relatives, the museum gave it away. The artist wrote this work in the same year as the "Manifesto of Suprematism", so at Sotheby`s even before the auction it was announced that for less than $ 60 million it would not go to private collection. And so it happened. It is better to look at it from above: the figures on the canvas resemble an aerial view of the earth. By the way, a few years earlier, the same relatives expropriated another "Suprematist composition" from the MoMA Museum in order to sell it at Phillips for $17 million.
16
"Bathers"
Author
Paul Gauguin
Country France
Years of life 1848–1903
Style post-impressionism
Until the age of seven, the artist lived in Peru, then returned to France with his family, but childhood memories constantly pushed him to travel. In France, he began to paint, was friends with Van Gogh. He even spent several months with him in Arles, until Van Gogh cut off his ear during a quarrel.
93.4x60.4 cm
1902
price
$55 million
sold in 2005
on the auction Sotheby's
In 1891, Gauguin arranged a sale of his paintings in order to use the proceeds to go deep into the island of Tahiti. There he created works in which one can feel the subtle connection between nature and man. Gauguin lived in a thatched hut, and a tropical paradise blossomed on his canvases. His wife was a 13-year-old Tahitian Tehura, which did not prevent the artist from engaging in promiscuity. Having contracted syphilis, he left for France. However, Gauguin was cramped there, and he returned to Tahiti. This period is called the "second Tahitian" - it was then that the painting "Bathers" was painted, one of the most luxurious in his work.
17
"Daffodils and a tablecloth in blue and pink"
Author
Henri Matisse
Country France
Years of life 1869–1954
Style Fauvism
In 1889, Henri Matisse had an attack of appendicitis. When he recovered from the operation, his mother bought him paints. First, out of boredom, Matisse copied colored postcards, then - the works of great painters that he saw in the Louvre, and at the beginning of the 20th century he came up with a style - fauvism.
65.2x81 cm
1911
price
$46.4 million
sold in 2009
on the auction Christie's
The painting "Daffodils and a tablecloth in blue and pink tones" for a long time belonged to Yves Saint Laurent. After the death of the couturier, his entire collection of art passed into the hands of his friend and lover Pierre Berger, who decided to put it up for auction at Christie's. The pearl of the sold collection was the painting "Daffodils and a tablecloth in blue and pink", painted on an ordinary tablecloth instead of canvas. As an example of Fauvism, it is filled with the energy of color, the colors seem to explode and scream. From famous series paintings written on a tablecloth, today this work is the only one that is in a private collection.
18
"Sleeping Girl"
Author
RoyLee
chtenstein
Country USA
Years of life 1923–1997
Style pop Art
The artist was born in New York, and after graduating from school, he went to Ohio, where he went to art courses. In 1949, Liechtenstein received his Master of Fine Arts degree. Interest in comics and the ability to be ironic made him a cult artist of the last century.
91x91 cm
1964
price
$44.882 million
sold in 2012
on the auction Sotheby's
Once, chewing gum fell into Liechtenstein's hands. He redrawn the picture from the insert on the canvas and became famous. This plot from his biography contains the whole message of pop art: consumption is new god, and there is no less beauty in a gum wrapper than in Mona Lisa. His paintings are reminiscent of comics and cartoons: Lichtenstein simply enlarged the finished image, drew rasters, used screen printing and silkscreen printing. The painting "Sleeping Girl" belonged to collectors Beatrice and Philip Gersh for almost 50 years, whose heirs sold it at auction.
19
"Victory. Boogie Woogie"
Author
Piet Mondrian
Country Netherlands
Years of life 1872–1944
Style neoplasticism
His real name - Cornelis - the artist changed to Mondrian when he moved to Paris in 1912. Together with the artist Theo van Doesburg, he founded the neoplastic movement. The Piet programming language is named after Mondrian.
27x127 cm
1944
price
$40 million
sold in 1998
on the auction Sotheby's
The most "musical" of the artists of the 20th century made a living with watercolor still lifes, although he became famous as a neoplastic artist. He moved to the USA in the 1940s and spent the rest of his life there. Jazz and New York - that's what inspired him the most! Painting "Victory. Boogie Woogie" - best to that example. "Branded" neat squares were obtained through the use of adhesive tape - Mondrian's favorite material. In America, he was called "the most famous immigrant." In the sixties, Yves Saint Laurent produced the world-famous "Mondrian" dresses with a large colored check print.
20
"Composition No. 5"
Author
BasilKandinsky
Country Russia
Years of life 1866–1944
Style avant-garde
The artist was born in Moscow, and his father was from Siberia. After the revolution, he tried to cooperate with the Soviet authorities, but soon realized that the laws of the proletariat were not created for him, and emigrated to Germany not without difficulties.
275x190 cm
1911
price
$40 million
sold in 2007
on the auction Sotheby's
Kandinsky was one of the first to completely abandon object painting, for which he received the title of genius. During Nazism in Germany, his paintings were classified as "degenerate art" and were not exhibited anywhere. In 1939, Kandinsky took French citizenship, in Paris he freely participated in artistic process. His paintings “sound” like fugues, which is why many are called “compositions” (the first was written in 1910, the last in 1939). “Composition No. 5” is one of the key works in this genre: “The word “composition” sounded like a prayer to me,” the artist said. Unlike many followers, he planned what he would depict on a huge canvas, as if writing notes.
21
"Study of a Woman in Blue"
Author
Fernand Léger
Country France
Years of life 1881–1955
Style cubism-post-impressionism
Leger received an architectural education, and then was a student at the School of Fine Arts in Paris. The artist considered himself a follower of Cezanne, was an apologist for cubism, and in the 20th century he also had success as a sculptor.
96.5x129.5 cm
1912–1913
price
$39.2 million
sold in 2008
on the auction Sotheby's
David Normann, president of Sotheby's International Impressionism and Modernism, believes the huge sum paid for The Lady in Blue is entirely justified. The picture refers to famous collection Leger (the artist painted three paintings on one plot, in private hands today - the last of them. - Approx. Ed.), And the surface of the canvas has been preserved in its original form. The author himself gave this work to the Der Sturm gallery, then it ended up in the collection of Hermann Lang, a German collector of modernism, and now belongs to an unknown buyer.
22
"Street scene. Berlin"
Author
Ernst LudwigKirchner
Country Germany
Years of life 1880–1938
Style expressionism
For German Expressionism Kirchner became an iconic person. However, local authorities accused him of adherence to "degenerate art", which tragically affected the fate of his paintings and the life of the artist, who committed suicide in 1938.
95x121 cm
1913
price
$38.096 million
sold in 2006 year
on the auction Christie's
After moving to Berlin, Kirchner created 11 sketches of street scenes. He was inspired by the turmoil and nervousness big city. In the painting, sold in 2006 in New York, the artist's anxiety is especially acute: people on a Berlin street resemble birds - graceful and dangerous. She was the last work from the famous series, sold at auction, the rest are kept in museums. In 1937, the Nazis brutally treated Kirchner: 639 of his works were seized from German galleries, destroyed or sold abroad. The artist could not survive this.
23
"Restingdancer"
Author
Edgar Degas
Country France
Years of life 1834–1917
Style impressionism
The history of Degas as an artist began with the fact that he worked as a copyist in the Louvre. He dreamed of becoming "famous and unknown", and in the end he succeeded. At the end of his life, deaf and blind, 80-year-old Degas continued to attend exhibitions and auctions.
64x59 cm
1879
price
$37.043 million
sold in 2008
on the auction Sotheby's
“Ballerinas have always been for me just an excuse to depict fabrics and capture movement,” said Degas. Scenes from the life of the dancers seem to be peeped: the girls do not pose for the artist, but simply become part of the atmosphere caught by Degas's gaze. The Resting Dancer sold for $28 million in 1999, and less than 10 years later it was bought for $37 million - today it is the most expensive work artist ever put up for auction. Degas paid much attention to frames, he designed them himself and forbade changing them. I wonder what frame is installed on the sold painting?
24
"Painting"
Author
Juan Miro
Country Spain
Years of life 1893–1983
Style abstract art
During civil war in Spain, the artist was on the side of the Republicans. In 1937, he fled from fascist power to Paris, where he lived in poverty with his family. During this period, Miro paints the painting "Help Spain!", Drawing the attention of the whole world to the dominance of fascism.
89x115 cm
1927
price
$36.824 million
sold in 2012
on the auction Sotheby's
The second name of the painting is "Blue Star". The artist wrote it in the same year when he announced: “I want to kill painting” and mercilessly mocked the canvases, scratching the paint with nails, gluing feathers to the canvas, covering the work with garbage. His goal was to debunk the myths about the mystery of painting, but, having coped with this, Miro created his own myth - a surreal abstraction. His "Painting" refers to the cycle of "pictures-dreams". At the auction, four buyers fought for it, but one phone call incognito resolved the dispute, and "Painting" became the most expensive painting by the artist.
25
"Blue Rose"
Author
Yves Klein
Country France
Years of life 1928–1962
Style monochrome painting
The artist was born into a family of painters, but studied oriental languages, navigation, the craft of a gilder of frames, Zen Buddhism and much more. His personality and impudent antics were many times more interesting than monochrome paintings.
153x199x16 cm
1960
price
$36.779 million
sold in 2012
at Christie's auction
The first exhibition of solid yellow, orange, pink works did not arouse public interest. Klein was offended and the next time he presented 11 identical canvases, painted with ultramarine mixed with a special synthetic resin. He even patented this method. The color went down in history as the "International Klein Blue". The artist also sold emptiness, created paintings by exposing paper to rain, setting fire to cardboard, making prints of a human body on canvas. In a word, I experimented as best I could. To create the "Blue Rose" I used dry pigments, resins, pebbles and a natural sponge.
26
"Looking for Moses"
Author
Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema
Country Great Britain
Years of life 1836–1912
Style neoclassicism
Sir Lawrence himself added the prefix "alma" to his surname in order to appear first in art catalogs. AT Victorian England his paintings were so in demand that the artist was awarded a knighthood.
213.4x136.7 cm
1902
price
$35.922 million
sold in 2011
on the auction Sotheby's
The main theme of Alma-Tadema's work was antiquity. In the paintings, he tried to depict the era of the Roman Empire in the smallest detail, for this he even engaged in archaeological excavations on the Apennine Peninsula, and in his London house he reproduced the historical interior of those years. mythological plots became another source of inspiration for him. The artist was in great demand during his lifetime, but after his death he was quickly forgotten. Now interest is reviving, as evidenced by the cost of the painting "In Search of Moses", seven times higher than the pre-sale estimate.
27
"Portrait of a sleeping naked official"
Author
Lucian Freud
Country Germany,
Great Britain
Years of life 1922–2011
Style figurative painting
The artist is the grandson of Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis. After the establishment of fascism in Germany, his family emigrated to the UK. Freud's works are in the Wallace Collection in London, where no contemporary artist has previously exhibited.
219.1x151.4 cm
1995
price
$33.6 million
sold in 2008
on the auction Christie's
While the fashionable artists of the 20th century created positive "color spots on the wall" and sold them for millions, Freud painted extremely naturalistic paintings and sold them for even more. “I capture the cries of the soul and the suffering of withering flesh,” he said. Critics believe that all this is the "legacy" of Sigmund Freud. The paintings were so actively exhibited and successfully sold that the experts had a doubt: do they have hypnotic properties? Sold at auction, "Portrait of a sleeping naked official", according to the Sun, was acquired by connoisseur of beauty and billionaire Roman Abramovich.
28
"Violin and Guitar"
Author
Xone gris
Country Spain
Years of life 1887–1927
Style cubism
Born in Madrid, where he graduated from the School of Arts and Crafts. In 1906 he moved to Paris and entered the circle of the most influential artists of the era: Picasso, Modigliani, Braque, Matisse, Leger, also worked with Sergei Diaghilev and his troupe.
5x100 cm
1913
price
$28.642 million
sold in 2010 year
on the auction Christie's
Gris, by own words, was engaged in "planar, color architecture." His paintings are precisely thought out: he did not leave a single accidental stroke, which makes creativity related to geometry. The artist created his own version of cubism, although he had great respect for Pablo Picasso, the founding father of the movement. The successor even dedicated his first Cubist work, Tribute to Picasso, to him. The painting "Violin and Guitar" is recognized as outstanding in the artist's work. During his lifetime, Gris was known, favored by critics and art critics. His works are exhibited in the world's largest museums and are kept in private collections.
29
"PortraitFields of Eluard»
Author
Salvador Dali
Country Spain
Years of life 1904–1989
Style surrealism
“Surrealism is me,” Dali said when he was expelled from the Surrealist group. Over time, he became the most famous surrealist artist. Dali's work is everywhere, not just in galleries. For example, it was he who came up with the packaging for Chupa-Chups.
25x33 cm
1929
price
$20.6 million
sold in 2011
on the auction Sotheby's
In 1929, the poet Paul Eluard and his Russian wife Gala came to visit the great provocateur and brawler Dali. The meeting was the beginning of a love story that lasted more than half a century. The painting "Portrait of Paul Eluard" was painted just during this historic visit. “I felt that I was entrusted with the duty to capture the face of the poet, from whose Olympus I stole one of the muses,” the artist said. Before meeting Gala, he was a virgin and was disgusted at the thought of having sex with a woman. Love triangle existed until the death of Eluard, after which he became the Dali-Gala duet.
30
"Anniversary"
Author
Marc Chagall
Country Russia, France
Years of life 1887–1985
Style avant-garde
Moishe Segal was born in Vitebsk, but in 1910 he emigrated to Paris, changed his name, and became close to the leading avant-garde artists of the era. In the 1930s, when the Nazis seized power, he left for the United States with the help of an American consul. He returned to France only in 1948.
80x103 cm
1923
price
$14.85 million
sold in 1990
at Sotheby's auction
The painting "Jubilee" is recognized as one of the the best works artist. It has all the features of his work: erased physical laws of the world, the feeling of a fairy tale is preserved in the scenery of bourgeois life, and love is in the center of the plot. Chagall did not draw people from nature, but only from memory or fantasizing. The painting "Jubilee" depicts the artist himself with his wife Bela. The painting was sold in 1990 and has not been bid since. Interestingly, the New York Museum of Modern Art MoMA keeps exactly the same, only under the name "Birthday". By the way, it was written earlier - in 1915.
draft prepared
Tatyana Palasova
rating compiled
according to the list www.art-spb.ru
tmn magazine №13
(May-June 2013)
10. Blood Red Mirror by Gerhard Richter- sold for $1,314,500
Gerhard Richter (born February 9, 1932, Dresden) is the most famous of contemporary German artists, his work is called the most controversial and controversial, and his paintings are the most expensive among the works of living artists. So, one of them was recently sold at Sotheby's for $20.8 million! The painting on our list was sold in November 2008 at the same New York auction for 1.3 million. Blood Red Mirror ("Blood Red Mirror") is a mirror in blood red colors.
9. "The concept of space, waiting" Lucio Fontana- sold for $1.5 million
Lucio Fontana is an Italian painter, sculptor and abstract artist. He laid the foundation at one time for the fashionable trend of "cut" paintings. And this work by Fontana, sold in 2010 for $1.5 million, is really indented.
8. "Green White" Ellsworth Kelly- sold for $1,650,500
Ellsworth Kelly is a contemporary American painter and sculptor. He is the largest representative directions "Hard-edge painting" - painting, which contains figures (often, but not necessarily geometric) with sharp, clear contours. The Green White painting was sold in November 2008 for $1,650,500.
7. "Untitled" Blinky Palermo
Blinky Palermo is a German abstract artist. His painting "Untitled" was sold for 1.7 million at auction. "Untitled", in fact, like the rest of Palermo's work, is a layering of one color on another.
6. "Cowboy", Ellsworth Kelly- sold for $1.7 million
The picture "Cowboy" brought the already familiar to us Kelly 1.7 million dollars.
5. Peinture (Le Chien), Joan Miro- sold for $2,210,500
Joan Miro is a famous Catalan (Spanish) abstract artist. The artist's works are mostly like incoherent children's drawings and contain figures that are vaguely similar to real objects. His painting "Dog" was sold for $2,210,500 at Christie's in New York.
4. "Untitled" by Cy Twombly- Sold for $2.3 million.
Cy Twombly is an American painter and abstract sculptor. The originality of Twombly's manner lies in the chaotic application of inscriptions, lines and scratches to the canvas. His painting "Untitled", bought for $2.3 million, might look more like the work of a 5-year-old child practicing to write the letter "e".
3. "White Fire I" by Barnett Newman- sold for $3,859,500 dollars
Barnett Newman is an American artist, prominent representative abstract expressionism. White Window I was sold on November 13, 2002 for $3,859,500.
2. "Blue Fool" ("Blue Fool"), Christopher Wool- sold for $5 million
The Blue Fool painting by contemporary American artist Christopher Wool was purchased in May 2010 at Christie's in New York for $5,010,500.
1. "Untitled" (1961) Mark Rothko- sold for $28 million
A painting by Rothko, a leading exponent of abstract expressionism, one of the creators of color field painting, was sold in 2010 in New York at Sotheby's for a crazy $28,000,000.
20. Pablo Picasso - Woman with Crossed Arms (1901-1902)
Sold for $55 million in 2000.
19. Vincent van Gogh - Wheat field with cypresses (1916)
Sold for $57 million in 1993.
18. Kazimir Malevich - Suprematist composition (1916)
Sold for $60 million in 2008.
17. Paul Cezanne - Still life with jug and drapery (1893-1894)
Sold for $60.2 million in 1999.
16. Willem de Kooning - Police Newspaper (1955)
Sold for $63.5 million in 2006.
15. Vincent van Gogh - Portrait of an Artist Without a Beard (1889)
Sold for $71.5 million in 1998.
14. Andy Warhol - Green Car Crash (1963)
Sold for $71.7 million in 2007.
13. Mark Rothko - White Center (1950)
Sold for $72.8 million in 2007.
12. Peter Paul Rubens - Massacre of the Innocents (1609-1611)
Sold for $76.8 million in 2002.
11. Pierre Auguste Renoir - Ball at the Moulin de la Galette (1876)
Sold for $78.1 million in 1990.
10 Jasper Johns - False Start (1959)
Sold for $80 million in 2008.
9. Claude Monet - Water Lily Pond (1919)
Sold for $80.5 million in 2008.
8. Vincent van Gogh - Portrait of Dr. Gachet (1890)
Sold for $82.5 million in 1990.
7. Francis Bacon - Triptych (1976)
Sold for $86.3 million in 2008.
6. Gustav Klimt - Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II (1912)
Sold for $87.9 million in 2006.
5. Pablo Picasso - Dora Maar with a cat (1941)
Sold for $95.2 million in 2006.
4. Pablo Picasso - Boy with a pipe (1905)
Sold for $104.1 million in 2004.
3. Gustav Klimt - Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I (1907)
Sold for $135 million in 2006.
2. Willem de Kooning - Woman III (1953)
Sold for $137.5 million in 2006.
1. Jackson Pollock - No. 5 (1948)
Sold for $140 million in 2006.
