Art is usually a sensitive topic for some people, especially when it comes to discussing about the most expensive paintings in the world. Although art is a form of expression and self-expression, there are a few masterpieces that are worth millions and even billions of dollars. If you’re one of those who think that these paintings should be preserved for future generations, then you may want to read this article.

Here are the top 10 most expensive paintings in the world:

10) The Scream (1893) – Edvard Munch – $119,922,500

9) Nafea Faa Ipoipo (1892) – Paul Gauguin – $122,500,000

8) Three Studies of Lucian Freud (1969) – Francis Bacon – $142,400,000

7) Garcon a la Pipe (1905) – Pablo Picasso – $155,400,000

6) Interchange (1913) – Willem De Kooning – $165,000,000

5) Portrait of Dr. Gachet (1890) – Vincent van Gogh – $180,100,000

4) No. 5 1948 – Jackson Pollock – $200 million

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Art is one of the most exclusive forms of human expression, with pieces selling for millions of dollars. With art often being more about who is making it than what it actually looks like, here we have a list of the top 10 most expensive paintings in the world. Whether it’s an eclectic collection of pictures, or something more traditional, these are the most expensive paintings in the world by price.

Most Expensive Paintings in the World

1) Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, Gustav Klimt – $135 million ($250 million donated by Ronald Lauder)

2) No. 5, 1948, Jackson Pollock – $140.7 million ($160 million donated by David Geffen)

3) Women of Algiers (Version O), Pablo Picasso – $179.4 million ($179.4 million donated by anonymous)

4) The Card Players, Paul Cézanne – $210.7 million ($210.7 million donated by anonymous)

5) Garçon à la pipe, Paul Cézanne – $262.9 million ($80 million donated by Domenico and Marina Beltramme Lepido)

6) Nu couché (sur le côté gauche), A

“The most expensive paintings in the world” is a bit of a misnomer. It’s not just about the price tag of paintings, but also the value.

Art has always been an extremely valuable asset for the rich and powerful, who wanted to adorn their homes with pieces that reflect their taste and wealth. And in our times, with the wealth of billionaires growing at such an astounding rate, it’s no surprise that they want to buy artworks to make a statement.

Taste comes into play here – there are billionaires who are not only willing to spend huge sums on art but also have a good eye to recognize great artworks.

Here is a list of top 10 most expensive paintings in the world. All these artworks are sold at auction and all broke the record for highest amount ever paid for a piece of artwork!

The most expensive painting in the world is Pablo Picasso’s “Women of Algiers (Version O)” which sold for $179,365,000 at a New York City auction. You can see it above. It was originally made in 1955, and then Picasso painted over it in 1957. The painting is also called “Version O” because there were other versions before that one.

These are the top 10 most expensive paintings in history according to Artnet .com . The list was compiled by looking at high estimates provided by Artnet, and then checking to see if those high estimates were confirmed by public auction results. All figures are listed in United States dollars (USD).

01.) Women of Algiers (Version O), Pablo Picasso, $179,365,000

02.) No. 5, 1948, Jackson Pollock , $140,000,000

03.) Dora Maar au Chat has been sold for $95 million at a Christie’s auction on May 4th 2012.  Picasso’s portrait of his lover Dora Maar is said to be one of his finest works from his “Rose period”

04.) No: 3 (Violet, Green and Red), Mark Rothko , $86,882,

Did you know that in the year 2010 the most expensive paintings ever sold were all painted by artists who had died at least a century ago? That is pretty remarkable isn’t it? And the fact that no one from this millennium even made it on to the list just goes to show how much art has changed over time.

Titian was one of the artists whose work made it onto the list of top 10 most expensive paintings of all time. Titian’s painting “The Flaying of Marsyas” achieved a final sale price of $36,048,000 in November of 2002. As impressive as that is, there are other paintings out there that have sold for even more money than that.

Titian is one of the better known old masters but he is not nearly as well known as someone like Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci’s painting “Salvator Mundi” sold for $127 million in New York City in November of 2017 at an auction held by Christie’s.

This makes “Salvator Mundi” not only the most expensive painting ever sold but also a very valuable piece of art in general and it is now estimated to be worth somewhere near $200 million.

There are others who have done even better than da

Most of the world’s most expensive paintings are by artists who died poor and unrecognized, but whose work was later discovered to be so valuable that it has since been sold for millions.

El Greco (1541-1614), Spanish painter. Painted View of Toledo. Sold for $80 million in 2010.

Francis Bacon (1909-1992), British painter. Portrait of Lucian Freud. Sold for $142 million in 2013.

Paul Cezanne (1839-1906), French painter. The Boy in the Red Vest. Sold for $250 million in 2012.

Cave of Altamira, Spain: prehistoric parietal art best known example of prehistoric parietal art in Europe, located in the cave of Altamira, in the province of Santander, autonomous community and historic region of Cantabria, northern Spain. Painted at an unknown date between 15,000 and 10,000 B.C., the cave contains approximately 150 paintings with depictions of human figures, red deer, brown bears, bisons, and wolves; abstract signs; as well as geometric shapes arranged across the walls and ceilings in a striking yellow ocher color against a black background.*Painted between 4200 BC and 4000 BC*Disc

Jasper Johns is an American artist. His paintings have sold for up to $151.9 million at auction.

1. Flag (1954). Sold $29,162,500 at Christie’s in May of 2014.

2. White Center (1952). Sold $28,601,000 at Christie’s in November of 2013.

3. Target with Four Faces (1953-54). Sold $26,405,000 at Christie’s in May of 2010.

4. Target with Plaster Cup (1955). Sold $20,926,800 at Christie’s in November of 2013.

5. Target (with Eleven Dots) (1959). Sold $20,336,500 at Christie’s in May of 2007.

6 . Target with Plaster Cubes (1960). Sold $18,605,000 at Sotheby’s in May of 2002.

7 . Target with Bullseye (1963). Sold $17,676,500 at Christie’s in May of 2012.

8 . Pair of Flags (1960). Sold $14,893,750 at Christie’s in May of 2012.*

9 . Target with Plaster Cup and Balls (1961-62). Sold $13,741 ,