It is generally accepted that any material item has its own value. But other criteria apply when evaluating works of art. The canvases, which are recognized as a national treasure and are kept in the largest museums, will never be put up for sale, so it is not possible to name their price.
Priceless "Mona Lisa"
According to the Guinness Book of Records, Leonardo da Vinci's painting is insured for $ 3 billion. The Louvre management denies this fact, according to them the picture is priceless and has no monetary equivalent. Experts from the largest auctions believe that if this masterpiece appeared at the auction, the price barrier would exceed the billion mark.
2012 records
The painting by Paul Cézan from the "Card Players" series was acquired by the royal family of the Emir of Qatar for $ 250 million. Currently, this is an absolute price record for a painting sold to a private person at an open auction. The painting has predecessors: canvases depicting more characters and details of the setting. Five variants of the plot have survived.
Initially, the painting depicted five people, then four and finally only two figures remained. The artist's persistence in self-improvement was appreciated - it was the laconic version of the series that became the most expensive painting in the world.
In 2012, the Norwegian billionaire Petter Olsen put up for auction Sotheby's most famous painting by Edvard Munch "Scream". In 12 minutes of trading, the price reached $ 119.9 million. The buyer remained unknown, making the transaction through a trusted person.
The value of abstract art
The painting, titled "Number 5," by the American abstract artist Jackson Pollock, was sold to Mexican entrepreneur David Martinez in 2006 for $ 140 million. Pollock created his works in the style of "action painting": pouring and sprinkling paint on the canvas. His canvases are considered brilliant works of abstract expressionism, "Number 5" occupies the second line in the ranking of the most expensive paintings in the world.
The work by the Dutch artist Willem de Kooning "Woman III" was bought by Stephen Cohen in 2006 for $ 137.5 million. The picture was painted with strokes-strokes in the manner of "figurative abstraction" characteristic of the artist.
Modern in the visual arts
The canvases of the Austrian modernist artist Gustav Klimt are widely known for their eroticism. The main muse of Klimt has always been the female body. His painting "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I", created in the "golden period" of the artist's work, was also called the "Austrian Mona Lisa". The painting was sold for $ 135 million to US cosmetic magnate Ronald Lauder in 2006.
Cubism and millions
Pablo Picasso is recognized as the most expensive artist in the world - the total amount of works sold is more than $ 463 million. Picasso's canvases are stolen more often than the canvases of other masters.
The surreal painting "Nude, Green Leaves and Bust" is currently owned by an unknown collector, who in 2010 paid $ 106.5 million at Christie’s auction for the right to own the masterpiece.
Another painting by the great Picasso is included in the list of the most expensive paintings in the world purchased from private collections. The Boy with a Pipe, a canvas painted by Pablo at the age of 24, was sold at Sotheby's in 2004. The collector, who paid $ 104 million, chose not to advertise his name.
