Art

The Priciest Artworks Ever Auctioned

A dazzling journey through the most expensive artworks ever sold at auction, featuring record-breaking sales of Salvator Mundi, Picasso, and more.

Por: Angela Leon Cervera April 15, 2025

Jean-Michel Basquiat’s ‘Untitled’ masterpiece just sold for $110.5m. Photo: The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat

Let’s face it: some paintings cost more than private islands, space flights, or entire companies. And still, they sell. Not quietly. Not modestly. But with the clang of a Christie’s gavel and gasps echoing through marble-floored salerooms.

The art market is wild. Unpredictable. Absurdly glamorous. And deeply revealing. Behind every eye-popping sale is a story — of legacy, rivalry, mystery, or obsession.

We’ve tracked the top most expensive artworks ever sold at auction. Spoiler: it’s not just about beauty. It’s about power, prestige, and sometimes, the perfect storm of hype.

Who Tops the Chart of Most Expensive Artworks?

Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi leads the pack. Sold for a staggering $450.3 million at Christie’s in 2017, it left the art world spinning. Restored, contested, and marketed like a blockbuster film, it wasn’t just a painting—it was a global event.

Following closely is Picasso’s Les Femmes d’Alger (Version O), hammering down at $179.4 million. Then comes Modigliani’s languid Nu couché, reclining into third place with $170.4 million.

Basquiat, Bacon, and Klimt round out the rest, proving that modern and contemporary works now rival the Old Masters.

Each sale reflects not just the value of the canvas but the cultural temperature of the moment: what we crave, what we collect, and what we crown as priceless.

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How Do Auctions Create Such Artworld Spectacle?

Auctions aren’t quiet transactions—they’re theatre. Christie’s and Sotheby’s know this. They build narratives. They hint at intrigue. They seed rumors and inflate anticipation.

When Basquiat’s skull-faced masterpiece hit the block, it wasn’t just about paint. It was about legacy. About a Black artist’s rise in a historically white space. The $110.5 million result was more than a number—it was a cultural pulse.

Marketing matters. So does provenance. A Rothko from a Rothschild? Instantly hotter. A Bacon once owned by Freud? Add zeroes. The backstory becomes part of the work’s aura.

Why Do Buyers Spend So Much?

Because owning that painting means more than decoration. It’s status. It’s mythology. It’s an investment—yes—but also identity.

Some buy to cement dynasties. Others for national pride. A few for passion. Many for power.

Artworks at this level become avatars. They’re talked about like sports cars or political moves. They live in vaults, fly by private jet, and rarely see daylight.

The irony? The world’s most expensive paintings are often the least seen.

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FAQ: The World’s Most Expensive Artworks

What is the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction? Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, which sold for $450.3 million at Christie’s in 2017.
Why are Picasso and Basquiat among the top? Their cultural impact, scarcity, and iconic status make their works highly coveted by collectors worldwide.
Where are these artworks now? Some are in private collections or museums, while others are rumored to be in storage or traveling exhibitions.
Do auction prices reflect true artistic value? Not always. Prices often reflect market demand, provenance, and hype more than pure aesthetic merit.
Is the art market regulated? Not strictly. It's a world of private deals, discreet buyers, and opaque pricing—but that's part of the mystique.

This isn’t just about numbers. It’s about what we worship, why we collect, and how a single canvas can ripple across culture.

Explore our Culture section for more stories where art meets obsession, where wealth flirts with wonder, and where creativity reigns without apology.