This top list shows the top 10 most expensive works of art of all time

Nativity Painting of People Inside a Dome
  1. Mona Lisa (Leonardo da Vinci) – Invaluable
  2. Salvator Mundi (Leonardo da Vinci) – $450.3 million
  3. Interchange (Willem de Kooning) – $300 million
  4. The Card Players (Paul Cézanne) – $250 million
  5. Nafea Faa Ipoipo *When Will You Marry?* (Paul Gauguin) – $250 million
  6. Number 17A (Jackson Pollock) – $200 million
  7. No. 6 *Violet, Green and Red* (Mark Rothko) – $186 million
  8. Pendant Portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit (Rembrandt) – $180 million
  9. Les Femmes d’Alger *”Version O”* (Pablo Picasso) – $179.4 million
  10. Nu couché (Amedeo Modigliani) – $170.4 million
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This top list shows the top 10 most expensive works of art of all time. Throughout history, art has not only captured human imagination but also immense financial value. At the very top sits Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, considered invaluable due to its cultural significance and permanent placement in the Louvre—it’s simply not for sale. However, da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi holds the record for the most expensive painting ever sold, fetching $450.3 million at auction.

Modern and post-impressionist art also dominates the top ranks. Interchange by Willem de Kooning sold for $300 million, while Paul Cézanne’s The Card Players and Paul Gauguin’s Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?) were both purchased for $250 million.

Abstract expressionism is represented by Jackson Pollock’s Number 17A at $200 million and Mark Rothko’s No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red) at $186 million. Rembrandt’s Pendant Portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit sold together for $180 million, showing the lasting value of classical masters.

Pablo Picasso’s Les Femmes d’Alger (Version O) reached $179.4 million, while Amedeo Modigliani’s sensual Nu couché was bought for $170.4 million.

These sales highlight how masterpieces—from Renaissance icons to 20th-century innovators—continue to break records and define the high-end art market.


Sources:
List of most expensive paintings – Wikipedia
The 35 Most Expensive Paintings Ever Sold | The Study (1stdibs.com)
The 10 Most Expensive Paintings Ever Sold (mentalfloss.com)
The Most Expensive Artworks Sold at Auction | Artsy

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