23 Most Expensive Paintings Ever Sold (Updated for 2024)

You will be amazed to learn about some of the most expensive paintings in the world, with prices in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The number can seem too big to fathom, and you’ll be even more shocked to learn some of them are privately owned by collectors.

Can you imagine having a classic and popular painting on display in your home? A Mona Lisa or Starry Night type of painting that hangs in your living room, a constant display of taste, culture and extreme wealth.

Art has always been a part of life, whether painting on cave walls or smearing oil and dyes on canvas. Some of the most expensive paintings of all time are instantly recognizable even to someone who doesn’t have knowledge or appreciation for the finer things. 

The world of rare and expensive art is fascinating and at times, filled with drama. Just take a look at some of the true crime-esque documentaries on your favorite streaming platform! From well-planned art heists to debate over the authenticity of long-lost works of art, it’s even better than fiction.

Even CNN describes the famous Isabella Gardner heist of 1990 where thirteen famous Rembrandt paintings, Vermeer paintings and others were stolen in the night while security guards were bound with duct tape.

If you’ve been lucky enough to visit ultra-famous and insanely expensive pieces of art in person, you might find yourself wondering how much is the Mona Lisa worth? Or what is the highest-valued painting in the world?

Read on to be baffled by the most expensive paintings in the world. Some, like Gustav Klimt paintings, appear more than once! You just might find yourself bursting with new landscape painting ideas to recreate and bring to life. 

Jump to Section

• The Most Expensive Paintings Sold at Auction
• The Most Expensive Paintings in Museums
• The Most Expensive Painting of All Time
• Who Has the Biggest Private Art Collection?
• Who Owns the Most Expensive Painting in the World?
• What is the Most Expensive Painting by a Living Artist?
• How Much is the Mona Lisa Worth?
• List of the Most Expensive Paintings Ever Sold

The Most Expensive Paintings Sold at Auction

It can be astonishing to see a painted canvas sell for a sum greater than the GDP of some small country, but that’s the world of the most expensive paintings. Works by DaVinci, Pollock, Rembrandt and Rothko top the list of the most expensive paintings sold at auction.

And lucky for you, many of these stunning pieces make up the most valuable paintings in museums, so the general public can enjoy them. Famous auction houses like Christie’s and Sotheby’s get their hands on these incredible works of art from donations or estate discoveries, oftentimes after many years. 

What is the most expensive painting in the world? That’s easy to answer, and by quite a margin: The Salvator Mundi by Leonardo DaVinci is long-renowned as being the world’s most expensive painting.

It sold at auction for just over $450 million in 2017 after being lost, and presumed destroyed, for many years. It was said to be stolen but was later discovered tucked away in a small apartment in Naples, Italy. Even though the legitimacy of this piece remains in question, it sold for close to half a billion dollars a few years ago. 

Another one of the most expensive paintings sold at auction is the Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, an iconic and frequently re-created piece by Andy Warhol. Sold by Christie’s for $195 million in 2022, it was snagged by an American art dealer.

This coloful and ultra-recognizable portrait got it’s name from a performance artist, Dorothy Podber, who visited Warhol’s studio and fired shots using a pistol at four of his pieces. All four were damaged but eventually restored, and the name stuck as a result. This style of retro and colorful design is fun to put your own spin on and make cute painting ideas of your pet or a loved one. 

A set of two of the most expensive paintings in the world by Rembrandt sold to two world-famous museums, the Louvre and the Rijksmuseum, courtesy of Christie’s, for about $180 Million. The paintings are wedding portraits featuring Marten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit and were crafted in 1634.

Since then, the set has always remained together, which isn’t exactly the norm for other 17th-century portrait pairs. Even though two museums share the rights to two of the top 20 most expensive paintings, they have agreed to take turns displaying them so the set can remain together.

Many Jackson Pollock paintings rank among the most expensive pieces of art and are famous for visually appealing colors and a unique splatter style. Several of his pieces have been sold through Christie’s for a pretty penny, including 17A, sold for $200 million in 2015. 

For the at-home artist, learning the art of pour painting can set you on your way to splatter-like creations, inspired by Jackson Pollock. 

The Most Expensive Paintings in Museums

Even if one of the most expensive paintings was purchased by a private collector, they can still sometimes end up in museums thanks to a generous patron of the arts. 

For example, Interchange by Willem de Kooning, a stunning piece of abstract art, was purchased by the CEO of Citadel hedge funds, Kenneth Griffin,  in 2015 for around $300 million. Though Griffin had every right to display this colorful masterpiece in his living room or master bedroom, instead he loans it to the Chicago Institute of Arts so the public can enjoy it. 

The pair of wedding portraits by Rembrandt, mentioned above as two of the most expensive paintings in the world, are on rotating display at both the Louvre in Paris and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Another one of the most expensive paintings is Nafae Faa Ipoipo? by Paul Gauguin, and this oil-on-canvas masterpiece sold for $300 million in 2015, but was resold for $210 million shortly after.

Although it was a private sale, widely believed to be sold to the royal family of Qatar, this piece is now on a rotation between many museums around the world. 

Another Rembrandt, among the most expensive paintings in the world, was purchased by the Dutch state for $198 million and then displayed in the famous Rijksmuseum. 

The Most Expensive Painting of All Time

It's interesting to consider that, while all of the paintings mentioned have a pricetag attached, there are some that are not for sale. We can only estimate their prices.

For example, one of the most famous Van Gogh paintings "Starry Night" or Pablo Picasso’s highly-sought "Les Demoiselles d’Avignon" could easily sell for between $500 million and $1 billion each. This makes paintings like these only speculatively the most expensive paintings of all time.

There are a number of the most expensive paintings in the world that never make their way to auction or even to a museum. Instead, they pass quietly between the hands of the uber-wealthy, stored in their private collections as their value climbs.

One prime example of this is Les Femmes D’Alger by Pablo Picasso. This colorful creation displays Algerian concubines with hookahs. Besides being visually stunning, it’s extra special because it displayed largely brand-new painting techniques.

There are actually 15 versions of this painting, and some are available to view in museums around the world while others are kept under wraps or displayed in private collections. 

If you’re seeking abstract painting ideas for your own art, you can find endless inspiration from Pablo Picasso. 

Who Has the Biggest Private Art Collection?

When it comes to the most expensive paintings and other rare, important works of art all in one place, the Royal Collection of the British Royal Family takes the cake for the largest private art collection in the world.

This is likely unsurprising when you consider the many hundreds of millions of dollars that one very important painting can fetch, and the bottomless pockets that the British Royal Family has. 

Other notable private art collectors include the Ganz family, who owned the most significant private holdings of Picasso paintings in the United States. The Broads, another U.S. family, were once known as the leading collectors of contemporary art, and their private collection included pieces from Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat paintings and Roy Lichtenstein artworks. 

Who Owns the Most Expensive Painting in the World?

What is considered the most valuable painting in the world? There is little doubt or even competition when it comes to the most expensive painting in the world; that title belongs to Salvator Mundi by DaVinci.

For just over $450 million, this painting was sold at auction in 2017 to a buyer who remains anonymous. It was reported that a buyer was acting on behalf of a Saudi prince, but today the painting is under the ownership of the Saudi Arabian Culture Ministry. 

There are certainly other famous painters and paintings that you might expect to see on the list of the most expensive paintings, for example Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh or Water Lillies by Claude Monet.

While these works of art are debatably as famous or well-recognized as Mona Lisa, they don’t necessarily fetch the same value, nor are they necessarily for sale.

If you're inspired to get painting yourself, these aesthetic painting ideas are a fun starting point for your own painting journey as they are abstract enough that you don’t need expert-level precision. 

What is the Most Expensive Painting by a Living Artist?

Part of what makes some of the most expensive paintings so incredibly valuable is the fact that their creators are deceased. It’s less about acrylic vs. oil paint or even the subject matter, but the rarity and finality of these works of art that fetch such astounding price tags.

Across different paint mediums and subject matters, artists like Rembrandt, Picasso and DaVinci were geniuses of their time, talented beyond measure and in many ways pioneers of new art styles.

They created a handful of true masterpieces that are widely recognized and admired, so it makes sense why getting your hands on one of these special creations would be difficult and expensive.

But there are always new artists emerging, and you never know when you could purchase a piece for a few hundred or thousand dollars that could one day be worth many millions.

Today, Jasper Johns’s 1958 painting titled Flag is the most expensive painting by a living artist. It was sold for $110 million in 2010, so it’s safe to assume it’s worth even more now. 

Jasper John has several other works that have sold for $40 million or so, but even with a price tag that high they don’t land inside the top 20 most expensive paintings. 

How Much is the Mona Lisa Worth?

It’s difficult to put a price on a work so iconic as the Mona Lisa, and even experts have deemed it “priceless.” Considering the cultural significance alone, it would be almost impossible to find a dollar amount that encompasses this piece’s value.

So how much does the Mona Lisa cost? There are estimates that if the piece were to be sold, it could surpass $850 million or even $1.01 billion. That would easily make it one of the most expensive paintings ever, if not the most valuable painting in a museum, hence the heightened security measures and strict light and temperature controls that stand between you and this 30” x 21” painting.

This might lead you to wonder who owns the Mona Lisa? The French Republic has owned this treasure since the 16th century and considers it a national treasure. 

List of the Most Expensive Paintings Ever Sold 

1. Salvator Mundi (1500) by Leonarda DaVinci for $400 million

2. Interchange (1955) by Willem de Kooning for $300 million

3. The Card Players (1892) by Paul Cézanne for $250 million

4. Nafea Faa Ipoipo? (1892) by Paul Gauguin for $210 million

5. Number 17A (1948) by Jackson Pollock for $200 million

6. The Standard Bearer (1636) by Rembrandt for $197.9 million

7. The Shot Marilyns (1964) by Andy Warhol for $196 million

8. No. 6 (Violet, Green, and Red) (1951) by Mark Rothko for $186 million

9. Wasserschlangen II (1904 – 1907) by Gustav Klimt for $183 million

10. Portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit (1634) by Rembrandt for $ 180 million

11. Les Femmes d’ Alger (“Version O”) (1955) by Picasso for $179.4 million 

12. Nu Couché (1917) by Amedeo Modigliani for $170 million

13. Masterpiece (1962) by Roy Lichtenstein for $165 million

14. Nu couché (Sur le côté Gauche) by Amedeo Modigliani for $170 million 

15.  Le Rêve (1932) by Pablo Picasso for $155 million

16. Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II (1912) by Gustav Klimt for $150 million

17. Les Poseuses, Ensemble (Petite version) (1888) by Georges Seurat for $149.2 million

18. Three Studies of Lucien Freud (1969) by Francis Bacon for $142.2 million

19. Twelve Landscape Screens (1925) by Qi Baishi for $140.8 million

20. No. 5 (1948) by Jackson Pollock for $140 million

21. Femme à la montre (1932) by Pablo Picasso for $139.3 million

22. La Montagne Sainte-Victoire (1888-90) by Paul Cezanne for $137.7 million

23. Woman III (1953) by Willem de Kooning for $137.5 million

All this talk of art history might have you thinking of picking up a paintbrush yourself. If you’re wondering how to find your art style, start by observing and studying these famous and most expensive paintings to find inspiration. Re-create and find what subject matter or medium speaks to you.

Back in the day when these iconic works were being created in the studio, oil painting was common as they didn’t have access to the tools we have now. Natural dyes and oils were mixed together to form paint. Nowadays, you can buy acrylic paint just about anywhere, and it’s one of the most beginner-friendly mediums.

Wondering how to start oil painting? Local art classes are an incredible tool for painting for beginners to get you started on creating your own masterpieces. You can even check out sip and paint ideas near you to keep things lowkey with a friend or a date. And who knows, you may be the creator of one of the next most expensive paintings ever sold at auction. 

For even more fun art ideas, check out other experiences happening on Cozymeal.