It is generally accepted that any material object has its value. But other criteria apply to the evaluation of works of art. The canvases, which are recognized as a national treasure and are stored in major museums, will never be put up for sale, so it is not possible to name their price.
Priceless "Mona Lisa"
According to the Guinness Book of Records, a painting by Leonardo da Vinci is insured for $ 3 billion. The leadership of the Louvre denies this fact, according to them, the picture is priceless and has no cash equivalent. Experts at major auctions believe that if this masterpiece had appeared at the auction, the price barrier would have exceeded the billionth mark.
2012 records
The painting by Paul Cezan from the series "Card Players" was acquired by the royal family of the Emir of Qatar for $ 250 million. At present, this is an absolute price record for a painting sold to a private person at open bidding. The picture has predecessors: canvases depicting more characters and details of the situation. Five plot options have been preserved.
Initially, the painting depicted five people, then four, and finally only two figures left. The artist’s perseverance in self-improvement was appreciated - it was the most concise version of the series that became the most expensive picture of the world.
The Norwegian billionaire Petter Olsen in 2012 put up for auction at Sotheby's the most famous picture of Edward Munch "Scream". In 12 minutes of trading, the price reached $ 119.9 million. The buyer remained unknown, making the transaction through a trustee.
The value of abstract art
A painting entitled "Number 5", painted by American abstractionist Jackson Pollock, was sold to Mexican entrepreneur David Martinez in 2006 for $ 140 million. Pollock created his works in the style of "action painting": poured and sprayed paint on a canvas. His canvases are considered brilliant works of abstract expressionism, "Number 5" takes second place in the ranking of the most expensive paintings in the world.
The work of the brush of the Dutch artist Willem de Kooning "Woman III" was bought by Stephen Cohen in 2006 for 137.5 million dollars. The painting was painted with strokes in the manner typical of the artist "figurative abstraction."
Art Nouveau
Canvases by the Austrian modernist artist Gustav Klimt are widely known for their eroticism. Klimt's main muse has always been a female body. His painting "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I", created during the "golden period" of the artist’s work, was also called the "Austrian Mona Lisa". The painting was sold for $ 135 million to American cosmetic magnate Ronald Lauder in 2006.
