Top 10 Most Expensive Artworks Ever Sold (Public and Private)
The ten most expensive artworks ever sold, ranked by price — including both auction records and private sales, from Leonardo's $450 million Salvator Mundi to Klimt's $170 million Water Serpents II.
Updated August 15, 202610 ranked5 sources
Quick answer: 1. Salvator Mundi — Leonardo da Vinci, 2. Interchange — Willem de Kooning, 3. The Card Players — Paul Cézanne, 4. Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?) — Paul Gauguin, 5. Number 17A — Jackson Pollock, 6. The Standard-Bearer — Rembrandt van Rijn, 7. Shot Sage Blue Marilyn — Andy Warhol, 8. No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red) — Mark Rothko, 9. Portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit — Rembrandt van Rijn, 10. Water Serpents II — Gustav Klimt.
The art market is where staggering wealth meets cultural prestige. The most expensive artworks ever sold span from Renaissance masterpieces to post-war abstractions, with prices that reflect not just artistic merit but scarcity, provenance, and the strategies of the world's wealthiest collectors.
This list ranks the ten most expensive artworks ever sold, combining both public auction sales and private (brokered) sales. Auction prices are a matter of public record — hammer price plus buyer's premium — while private-sale prices are reported by the trade press, participants, or legal filings, and are therefore estimates. All figures are adjusted for the stated sale price at the time of sale, not inflation-adjusted.
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Sale price (USD millions)
Sale price (USD millions)
Salvator Mundi — Leonardo da Vinci
450.3 USD million
Interchange — Willem de Kooning
300 USD million
The Card Players — Paul Cézanne
250 USD million
Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?) — Paul Gauguin
210 USD million
Number 17A — Jackson Pollock
200 USD million
The Standard-Bearer — Rembrandt van Rijn
198 USD million
Shot Sage Blue Marilyn — Andy Warhol
195 USD million
No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red) — Mark Rothko
186 USD million
Portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit — Rembrandt van Rijn
180 USD million
Water Serpents II — Gustav Klimt
170 USD million
The ranking
1
Salvator Mundi — Leonardo da Vinci
The world's most expensive painting, attributing to Leonardo da Vinci, sold at Christie's New York in November 2017 for $450.3 million. The buyer was later revealed to be acting on behalf of Saudi Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al Saud. The painting's attribution to Leonardo has been debated — some scholars question whether the entirety of the work is by his hand — but the sale price is undisputed. The work is now in the collection of the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Culture, intended for the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
Artist: Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)Year of sale: 2017Sale type: Auction (Christie's New York)Medium: Oil on walnut panel
2
Interchange — Willem de Kooning
Willem de Kooning's 1955 abstract expressionist painting was purchased privately by hedge fund billionaire Kenneth C. Griffin in 2015 for approximately $300 million from the David Geffen collection. The sale was reported by the New York Times and Bloomberg and remains the highest-ever privately reported price for a single artwork. The painting is a landmark of de Kooning's transition from figurative to purely abstract work.
Artist: Willem de Kooning (1904–1997)Year of sale: 2015Sale type: Private saleMedium: Oil on canvas
3
The Card Players — Paul Cézanne
The most famous of Cézanne's five paintings of Provençal peasants playing cards, this post-impressionist masterpiece was acquired privately by the royal family of Qatar in 2011 for an estimated $250 million or more. The sale was brokered by the family's art-buying agency, Qatar Museums, and confirmed by multiple art-market sources. It is widely considered the most expensive painting ever sold before 2015.
Artist: Paul Cézanne (1839–1906)Year of sale: 2011Sale type: Private sale (Qatar Museums)Medium: Oil on canvas
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4
Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?) — Paul Gauguin
Paul Gauguin's 1892 Tahitian painting was purchased privately by the Qatar Museums in 2015 in a deal initially reported at $300 million — which would have made it the most expensive painting ever sold at the time. A subsequent legal dispute over the intermediary's commission revealed the actual price to be approximately $210 million, placing it fourth on this list. The painting depicts two Tahitian women and is one of Gauguin's most celebrated works from his first Tahitian period.
Artist: Paul Gauguin (1848–1903)Year of sale: 2015Sale type: Private sale (Qatar Museums)Medium: Oil on canvas
5
Number 17A — Jackson Pollock
Jackson Pollock's 1948 drip painting was purchased privately by Kenneth C. Griffin in 2016 for $200 million — part of the same $500 million acquisition that also included Interchange. The sale was reported by Bloomberg and the New York Times. Number 17A is a quintessential example of Pollock's revolutionary all-over drip technique, with its intricate web of paint capturing the energy of post-war American abstraction.
Artist: Jackson Pollock (1912–1956)Year of sale: 2016Sale type: Private saleMedium: Oil on canvas
6
The Standard-Bearer — Rembrandt van Rijn
Rembrandt's 1636 self-portrait — depicting himself as a soldier holding a standard — was purchased by the Dutch government in 2022 for approximately $198 million from the Rothschild family. The acquisition was a joint effort between the Rijksmuseum and the Dutch state, ensuring the painting would remain in the Netherlands. It is the most expensive Old Master painting ever sold.
Artist: Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669)Year of sale: 2022Sale type: Government acquisition (private sale)Medium: Oil on canvas
7
Shot Sage Blue Marilyn — Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol's 1964 silkscreen portrait of Marilyn Monroe sold at Christie's New York in May 2022 for $195 million, becoming the most expensive 20th-century artwork ever sold at auction. The painting is part of Warhol's Marilyn series, which was famously 'shot' by performance artist Dorothy Podber, who fired a bullet through a stack of four canvases — including this one, which still bears the bullet hole at the top of the canvas.
Artist: Andy Warhol (1928–1987)Year of sale: 2022Sale type: Auction (Christie's New York)Medium: Acrylic and silkscreen on canvas
8
No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red) — Mark Rothko
Mark Rothko's 1951 color-field masterpiece was sold privately by the estate of the French banker and collector Philippe Niarchos in 2014 for approximately $186 million. The buyer was Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, who acquired it through the Yves Bouvier art-freeport system in a deal that later became the subject of a high-profile legal dispute. The painting exemplifies Rothko's signature style of layered, luminous color rectangles.
Artist: Mark Rothko (1903–1970)Year of sale: 2014Sale type: Private saleMedium: Oil on canvas
9
Portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit — Rembrandt van Rijn
This pair of full-length wedding portraits, painted by Rembrandt in 1634, were jointly acquired by the Louvre in Paris and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam in 2015 for $180 million — the most expensive museum acquisition ever. The paintings are extraordinarily rare as a pair of full-length portraits that have remained together for nearly four centuries. The Rothschild family had owned them since 1877.
Artist: Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669)Year of sale: 2015Sale type: Joint museum acquisition (private sale)Medium: Oil on canvas
10
Water Serpents II — Gustav Klimt
Gustav Klimt's 1907 painting of sensuous, intertwined female figures was sold privately in 2017 for approximately $170 million. The painting had a complex history: it was looted by the Nazis during World War II and later restituted to the heirs of the original Jewish owners. The buyer was reportedly a Chinese collector, and the sale was one of the highest prices ever paid for a pre-war European painting.
Artist: Gustav Klimt (1862–1918)Year of sale: 2017Sale type: Private saleMedium: Oil on canvas
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Full comparison
#
Name
Artist
Year of sale
Sale type
Medium
1
Salvator Mundi — Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)
2017
Auction (Christie's New York)
Oil on walnut panel
2
Interchange — Willem de Kooning
Willem de Kooning (1904–1997)
2015
Private sale
Oil on canvas
3
The Card Players — Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne (1839–1906)
2011
Private sale (Qatar Museums)
Oil on canvas
4
Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?) — Paul Gauguin
Paul Gauguin (1848–1903)
2015
Private sale (Qatar Museums)
Oil on canvas
5
Number 17A — Jackson Pollock
Jackson Pollock (1912–1956)
2016
Private sale
Oil on canvas
6
The Standard-Bearer — Rembrandt van Rijn
Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669)
2022
Government acquisition (private sale)
Oil on canvas
7
Shot Sage Blue Marilyn — Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol (1928–1987)
2022
Auction (Christie's New York)
Acrylic and silkscreen on canvas
8
No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red) — Mark Rothko
Mark Rothko (1903–1970)
2014
Private sale
Oil on canvas
9
Portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit — Rembrandt van Rijn
Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669)
2015
Joint museum acquisition (private sale)
Oil on canvas
10
Water Serpents II — Gustav Klimt
Gustav Klimt (1862–1918)
2017
Private sale
Oil on canvas
How we ranked this
Items are ranked by the total reported sale price in U.S. dollars, including buyer's premium for auction sales and the reported price for private sales. Auction prices are confirmed by the auction house's public records. Private-sale prices are based on reports from the New York Times, Bloomberg, The Art Newspaper, court filings, or other authoritative sources, and are inherently estimates — they are the best-available figures from the art market's often-opaque private transactions. The ranking draws on the Wikipedia List of Most Expensive Paintings, Artnews, and the iyc.com art market database. Sales from 2010 through 2025 are included. Inflation is not adjusted. Rank 1 is the highest price.
FAQ
What is the most expensive artwork ever sold?
Salvator Mundi, attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, sold for $450.3 million at Christie's New York in 2017. It is the only artwork ever to exceed $400 million at sale.
How reliable are private-sale prices compared to auction prices?
Auction prices are a matter of public record, including the exact hammer price and buyer's premium. Private-sale prices rely on reporting by the trade press, anonymous sources, or occasional legal filings, so they are best considered estimates. The figures on this list are the most widely cited and best-attested private-sale prices available.
Why are there no sculptures or installations on this list?
The most expensive artworks ever sold are overwhelmingly paintings (and one silkscreen). The most expensive sculpture ever sold at auction is Jeff Koons' Rabbit ($91.1 million), which does not reach the top ten. This reflects the art market's strong preference for paintings at the high end.
Who buys the most expensive artworks?
The buyers of the most expensive artworks are typically ultra-high-net-worth individuals, hedge fund managers, royal families, and sovereign wealth funds. Many of the top private sales have been to Qatari buyers, the Saudi royal family, and American billionaires. Museums have also collaborated on major acquisitions, as with the Rembrandt portraits purchased jointly by the Louvre and Rijksmuseum.