Art That Broke The Bank

Although a lot of paintings hang in galleries and museums, not all great pieces make it big—or at least not this BIG. Only a select few can fetch millions of dollars from prospective buyers looking to display how cultured and opulent they are. This list takes you on a tour of the 20 most expensive paintings to date. Ready to see how far some people will go for a masterpiece? Let's begin.

Gustav Klimt on Wikimedia

1. Salvator Mundi By Leonardo da Vinci – $450.3 Million

Discovered in a New Orleans auction in 2005, this long-lost Da Vinci became the world's most expensive painting in 2017. Its mysterious expression and Christ-like gaze caused global buzz, partly because some experts still question if Leonardo painted it entirely himself.

Circle of Leonardo da Vinci on Wikimedia

2. Portrait Of Dr. Gachet By Vincent Van Gogh - $82.5 Milion

Dr. Gachet, Van Gogh’s physician and friend, became the subject of this famous portrait in art history. The painting sold for $82.5 million (now worth around $180 million) at Christie’s New York in 1990, setting a record at the time. A Japanese paper magnate was the lucky owner.

Vincent van Gogh on Wikimedia

3. The Card Players By Paul Cézanne – $250 Million

It’s an intense painting of two men engrossed in a card game, which was sold to the Qatari royal family in 2011. Cézanne's brushwork, color palette, and focus on peasant life make it one of post-impressionism's most revered masterpieces.

Paul Cézanne on Wikimedia

4. Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?) By Paul Gauguin – $210 Million

Set in Tahiti, the dreamy portrait blends exoticism with subtle melancholy. In 2015, it was reportedly sold to a Qatari buyer. Gauguin's fascination with island life and its complicated legacy continues to stir debate and admiration alike.

Paul Gauguin on Wikimedia

5. Portrait Of Joseph Roulin By Vincent Van Gogh - $58 Million

Van Gogh painted this portrait of his friend Joseph Roulin, a postal worker, during a long train ride from Paris to Arles in 1888. MoMA bought it in 1989 for $58 million—still one of the most expensive art purchases ever, adjusted for inflation.

Vincent van Gogh on Wikimedia

6. The Standard Bearer By Rembrandt – $198 Million

A proud self-portrait in rich period costume, this 1636 painting was bought by the Dutch government to return home. In 2022, it became the most expensive Rembrandt ever, reflecting the enduring legacy of the master of light and shadow.

Rembrandt on Wikimedia

7. Twelve Screens Of Landscapes By Qi Baishi – $140.8 Million

The huge 12-panel masterpiece amazed collectors in Beijing and set a new record for Chinese art. Painted in 1925, each towering screen showcases scenic beauty from his travels. After 60+ bids and a 20-minute battle, it finally sold for $140.8 million.

Beijing museum displays Qi Baishi's landscape paintings by Hi China

8. Orchard With Cypresses By Vincent Van Gogh - $117 Million

This masterpiece went for a jaw-dropping $117 million at Christie’s in 2022, during the mega Paul Allen auction. Painted in spring 1888, it’s all about heavy brushstrokes and intense color—pure Van Gogh drama, and one of five pieces that crossed $100 million that night.

Vincent van Gogh on Wikimedia

9. Pendant Portraits Of Maerten Soolmans & Oopjen Coppit By Rembrandt– $180 Million

Forget museums—these Rembrandt portraits were so iconic that they sparked a joint custody deal. In 2016, the Louvre and Rijksmuseum teamed up to buy the pair for around $180 million. Painted in 1634, these full-length portraits were rare for Rembrandt and are now never displayed separately.

Rembrandt on Wikimedia

10. Shot Sage Blue Marilyn By Andy Warhol – $195 Million

Warhol’s electrifying portrait of Marilyn Monroe became the priciest 20th-century artwork ever sold at auction in 2022. Snapped up by dealer Larry Gagosian for $195 million, it’s one of only five “Shot Marilyns,” and yes, it really was shot in 1964.

Warhol's Marilyn sold for $195 million | World record for the most expensive 20th Century artwork by Christie's

11. Portrait Of Adele Bloch-Bauer II By Gustav Klimt – $150 Million

Klimt painted Adele twice, and this 1912 portrait (less golden than its famous sibling) still dazzles. After restitution to its rightful heirs, the painting was sold privately. Klimt's decorative elegance and tragic backstory only deepen the attraction.

Gustav Klimt on Wikimedia

12. The Scream By Edvard Munch – $119.9 Million

It’s an eerie pastel version of The Scream. The artwork was sold at Sotheby’s in 2012 after a 12-minute bidding war, setting a record at the time. It was the only one still privately owned until investor Leon Black scooped it up. Climate angst never looked so collectible.

Edvard Munch on Wikimedia

13. Three Studies Of Lucian Freud By Francis Bacon – $142.4 Million

Raw, unsettling, and tripled for impact! Bacon's famous triptych of fellow artist Lucian Freud shocked the auction world in 2013. The intensity of emotion and distortion drew collectors in, and they paid handsomely to own the chaos.

Francis Bacon's 'Three Studies of Lucian Freud' by Christie's

14. Portrait Of Adele Bloch-Bauer I By Gustav Klimt – $135 Million

Nicknamed The Woman in Gold, this gilded masterpiece is arguably Klimt's most iconic work. After a high-profile restitution battle, it was sold in 2006. The portrait now hangs in New York's Neue Galerie, gleaming with gold leaf and history.

János Korom Dr. >17 Million views from Wien, Austria on Wikimedia

15. Mont Sainte-Victoire By Paul Cézanne – $137.7 Million

Bold brushstrokes and geometric vision came to life in Mont Sainte-Victoire, which sold for $137.7 million at the 2022 Paul Allen sale. A cornerstone of modern art, this mountain view broke records and laid the groundwork for Cubism’s future rise.

Sailko on Wikimedia

16. No. 5, 1948 By Jackson Pollock – $140 Million

Pollock's dizzying energy explodes in this piece! Sold privately in 2006, it was briefly the most expensive painting in the world. Critics call it chaotic—collectors call it genius. Either way, it's unmistakably Pollock.

Pollock Scene (Ex Machina, 2015) by Soksambo Ham

17. Garçon À La Pipe By Pablo Picasso – $104.2 Million

Picasso was just 24 when he painted the Garçon à la pipe. It shows a boy with a pipe amid a swirl of floral elements. Sold in 2004 at Sotheby's, it held the auction price record for several years, defying critics who called it "minor" Picasso.

Picasso painting fetches record $104 million by AP Archive

18. Untitled (1982) By Jean-Michel Basquiat – $110.5 Million

A skull-like face stares back from a sea of brushstrokes and raw energy—Basquiat painted it at the age of 21. Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa purchased it in 2017. It's a modern classic that screams youth, rebellion, and a whole lot of dollars.

Yusaku Maezawa Meets a Masterpiece by Sotheby's

19. Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster) By Andy Warhol – $105.4 Million

Bleak yet mesmerizing, it’s Warhol's exploration of life's end through repetition. The artwork was sold for over $105 million in 2013. Part of his Death and Disaster series, this one confronts the viewer—and dares them to look away.

Warhol's Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster), 1963: A Conversation with Sir John Richardson by Sotheby's

20. Empire Of Light By René Magritte – $121 Million

Magritte’s surreal Empire of Light flipped reality with its eerie night scene and bright daytime sky. Sold for $121 million at Christie’s in 2024, it became the artist’s most expensive work ever—proof that logic and good lighting can break records.

Magritte classic "Dominion of Light", Monet up for auction by Sharjah24 News