In Demand Artwork: Cheapoilpainting.com Releases List of 10 Most Expensive Oil Paintings in History
(PRWEB) May 25, 2011
CheapOilPainting.com notes that the question of price is a difficult one. Inflation rates change constantly, not to mention the gossip that circulates the web leading to speculation and conflicting information. Cheapoilpainting.com’s team of researchers has come up with a comprehensive list of paintings correlated between multiple trustworthy sources. The ten most expensive oil paintings in history are:
1. $ 140 million: Jackson Pollock. Number 5, 1948 (1948)
Sold to an anonymous buyer in 2006, this Expressionist classic exudes Pollock paintings trademark “drip” style. The painting was completed on an 8’ x 4’ fiberboard sheet, with thick amounts of mostly yellow and brown paint drizzled on top.
2. $ 137.5 million: Willem de Kooning. Woman III (1953)
Steven Cohen bought the painting in 2006. Woman III represents the only Kooning “Woman” painting still owned by a private collector. Combined with Pollock, the dollars indicate that American abstract Expressionism has surpassed Impression as the most valued art period and style, although who knows how long that will last?
3. $ 135 million: Gustav Klimt. Adele Bloch-Bauer I (1907)
When cosmetic tycoon Ronald Lauder acquired this Klimt painting in 2006 it sent shockwaves through the artistic community. The painting was part of several which had been recently returned to the heirs of Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer after the Nazis confiscated his paintings in WWII. This ornate masterpiece took three years to complete and measures 54.3 by 54.3 inches. It is made of oil and gold on canvas.
4. $ 106.5 million: Pablo Picasso. Nude, Green Leaves and Bust (1932)
An anonymous buyer in 2010 purchased this colorful and sensual Picasso masterpiece. It has been reported by the New York Times to be the most expensive painting ever sold at auction (as of 2010). At 64 x 51 inches, it shows Picasso’s mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter, with Picasso’s profile cleverly disguised in the blue background.
5. $ 104.1 million: Pablo Picasso. Garçon a la pipe (1904)
Picasso once again makes an appearance, this time with a painting of a young smoker with a pipe sitting in front of a floral background, sold to an anonymous buyer in 2004. The sale represented two landmarks for the art community: it was the first time the $ 100 million barrier was broken and it also surpassed the 1990 record for most expensive painting ever sold, held by van Gogh and the sale of Portrait of Dr. Gachet.
6. $ 100 million: Andy Warhol. Eight Elvises 1963
An anonymous buyer fetched this piece in 2008. This Warhol masterpiece measures more than 12 feet long, and even more so in price: It exceeded the previous world record for a Warhol work, which was held by Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car I) when it sold for $ 71.7 million in 2007.
7. $ 95.2 million: Pablo Picasso. Dora Maar au Chat (1941)
Picasso’s third painting in the top 10 list, bought by an anonymous buyer in 2006, is of his lover, Dora Maar, who he met in France while it was under occupation by the Nazis. Ms Maar was a native Parisian, but raised in Argentina and therefore fluent in Spanish, Picasso’s native language. The two lived together for many years, with this portrait just one of many Maar posed for.
8. $ 91 million: Titian. Diana and Actaeon (1556-1559)
Bought by the National Galleries of Scotland and the National Gallery in London in 2009, this magnificent painting has all the splendor and beauty of Titian’s famed “painted poetries.” It was previously owned by the Duke of Sutherland, who offered it to the U.K public instead of private art collectors. Its sister picture, Diana and Callisto, is also expected to be bought by the museums in 2012. According to the Guardian in 2009, the acquisition was the largest public purchase of a single work of art in the UK ever.
9. $ 87.9 million: Gustav Klimt. Adele Bloch-Bauer II (1912)
Klimt made a reappearance in the top 10 list when an anonymous buyer purchased Klimt’s second version of Adele in 2006, this time in a more traditional oil on canvas painting. The portrait measures 75 x 47 inches and is the only time one model has been painted twice by Klimt.
10. $ 86.3 million: Francis Bacon. Tryptich 1976 (1976),
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich bought the famous Bacon piece in 2008. The work was one of Bacon’s favorites, evidenced by his remark in 1979: “Triptychs are the thing I like doing most, and I think this may be related to the thought I’ve sometimes had of making a film. I like the juxtaposition of the images separated on three different canvases. So far as my work has any quality, I often feel perhaps it is the triptychs have the most quality.”
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Cheapoilpainting.com offers museum-quality famous oil painting reproduction artwork at a price everyone can afford, with up to 70% off gallery prices. The company has a 30-day, 100% money back guarantee, along with an extensive 100% satisfaction guarantee. High resolution photos are sent to customers for approval before shipping any painting and shipping of paintings is free of charge. Browse Cheapoilpainting.com to view its extensive collection of oil paintings and for special offers.
References
The Guardian. February 2, 2009. “Titian’s Diana and Actaeon saved for the nation”.
The Economist. November 26, 2009. “The Pop master’s highs and lows”.
Huffington Post. 2010. “Roman Abramovich Buys An Island For His Art”.
The New York Times. May 4, 2010. “Picasso Sells at Auction for $ 106.5 Million, a Record for a Work of Art”.
The New York Times. June 19, 2006. “Lauder Pays $ 135 Million, a Record, for a Klimt Portrait”.
The New York Times. November 2, 2006. “A Pollock Is Sold, Possibly for a Record Price”.
Wikipedia. 2010. “List of most expensive paintings”.
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