The impressive price of the 20 most expensive masterpieces ever

Art is an expression of human interiority. Artists expressed their visions and feelings through different art forms, sharing their intimate search for meaning and beauty with the world. Over time, works of art have not been the preserve of only nobles or aristocrats but are now accessible to anyone who can afford one. We'd like to present some extraordinary works, paintings to be precise, which are to date the most expensive works of art in history, having been sold through public auctions. Their price is impressive: click on the arrows in the photo to continue reading.

PS. At the bottom of the article, a surprise is waiting for you.

Amedeo Modigliani's painting, dated 1917, was sold in 2018 for $157.2 million. The picture generated a scandal when it was presented, but today, it is considered by all to be a masterpiece.

Roy Lichtenstein's Masterpiece painting, dated 1962, sold in 2017 for $165 million and is considered by many as his best work, in the style that most of all distinguished him.

The portrait of Dr. Gachet, painted by Vincent Van Gogh in 1890, sold in 1990 for $82.5 million ($177.5 million today). The painting is one of the last by Van Gogh, who formed an intense friendship with Doctor Gachet.

Le Rêve (The Dream) by Pablo Picasso is a 1932 canvas sold in 2013 for $155 million. It is considered one of Picasso's most sensual paintings, in which it is not difficult to understand what is happening.

This spectacular 1907 Klimt masterpiece was bought for $135 million in 2006. The canvas was one of a group of masterpieces confiscated by the Nazis during World War II.

This superb painting is the only work by Willem de Kooning in private hands. Hands that could take him, in 2006, for $137.5 million.

Thanks to an iconic and instantly recognizable style, Jackson Pollock is rightly regarded as one of the greatest contemporary painters. This 1948 abstract work sold in 2006 for a staggering $140 million.

Could Andy Warhol be missing? Of course not! His post-modern aura of him and many famous works of him always keep him among the most loved (and paid!) Artists in the world. This Marilyn sold in 2022 for a whopping $195 million.

Rembrandt is one of the great masters of art history, and his "The Standard Bearer" is one of his best paintings. In 2021 the Rothschild family sold it to the Dutch state for $197.9 million.

Another masterpiece by Modigliani, evidently one of the most appreciated artists in the world. This second nude was bought by a Chinese billionaire in 2015 for $199.5 million!

This painting is one of the most important and famous of Pablo Picasso's production. In 2015, it was purchased for $179.4 million.

Rothko is a Latvian-born American painter, a master of abstract expressionism. His colors are often the protagonists of his paintings. In 2014, this painting was purchased for $186 million.

Another wonderful painting by Gustav Klimt is in this ranking. Also confiscated by the Nazis, it was sold to a Russian collector in 2013 for $187 million.

There was controversy in 2014 when this Rothko masterpiece sold for the astronomical sum of $200 million!

Another great masterpiece by Jackson Pollock, one of the first to make him world famous for his technique. In 2015 it was bought for $200 million.

It is one of the most famous paintings by Gauguin, a French painter noted for his exotic travels in search of distant subjects and intense colors. He is one of the most loved painters of all time; it is no coincidence that this painting was paid a reasonable $210 million in 2015.

Another very famous masterpiece by Andy Warhol, this time with an orange background to, enhance a fantastic Marilyn Monroe. Unfortunately for us, it cost $225 million to get it in 2018.

Observe the intensity of the player's gaze, and you will be catapulted into the middle of a very delicate game of cards. The quality of the representation makes this famous painting by Cézanne a masterpiece, paid for $250 million in 2011.

Like Pollock, de Kooning was also a great exponent of abstract expressionism. This stunning oil painting is from 1955 and sold in 2015 for $300 million!

The most expensive historical painting is a Renaissance portrait of Christ attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci. In 2017, it was purchased for the astounding sum of $450.3 million. At that moment, the whole world talked about it, as often happens with Leonardo's works, as the painting was found in an art gallery. To date, there have been many controversies and discussions about its attribution. Not all experts agree that the image is a Leonardo Da Vinci.

And speaking of Leonardo, have you ever wondered how much the Mona Lisa would be worth? Keep reading!

The Monnalisa, also known as Gioconda, is the most famous painting in the world. The picture belongs to the French Republic and is the heart of the largest museum in the world: the Louvre. It is therefore impossible to define its price, but considering that in 1962 it was insured for the record sum of $ 100 million, today it would be worth more than $ 850 million.