The art world in numbers
Highest painting sales
Highest known prices paid for paintings from 1987 to 2026, inflation-adjusted to 2025 US dollars. The scatter plot shows each sale; the ranked list below names the works. Click a point or a list color to highlight both for a few seconds.
© Sandra M. Samolik · All rights reserved · Viewing only
Most of the highest prices belong to works made after about 1875, especially Impressionist, modern, and postwar paintings. Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi remains the most expensive sale on record. The dashed line on the chart marks $100 million in adjusted dollars.
These figures represent only the visible top of the market. Many private sales are never disclosed, and most transactions take place at far lower prices, see The Entry-Level (Low-End) Art Market.
Sale list
Ranked by inflation-adjusted price (2025 USD). The color dot matches the chart legend (year of creation). Click a chart point or a list dot to move between chart and list.
| Color | # | Painting | Artist | Created | Sold | Adj. USD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salvator Mundi | Leonardo da Vinci | c. 1500 | November 15, 2017 | $591.5m | |
| 2 | Interchange | Willem de Kooning | 1955 | September 2015 | $407m | |
| 3 | The Card Players | Paul Cézanne | 1892/93 | April 2011 | $358m | |
| 4 | Nafea Faa Ipoipo | Paul Gauguin | 1892 | September 2014 | $285m | |
| 5 | Number 17A | Jackson Pollock | 1948 | September 2015 | $272m | |
| 6 | Wasserschlangen II | Gustav Klimt | 1904–1907 | 2013 | $254m | |
| 7 | No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red) | Mark Rothko | 1951 | August 2014 | $253m | |
| 8 | Pendant portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit | Rembrandt | 1634 | February 1, 2016 | $244m | |
| 9 | Les Femmes d'Alger (Version O) | Pablo Picasso | 1955 | May 11, 2015 | $243.6m | |
| 10 | Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer | Gustav Klimt | 1914-1916 | November 18, 2025 | $236.4m | |
| 11 | The Standard Bearer | Rembrandt | 1636 | February 2022 | $235.3m | |
| 12 | Nu couche | Amedeo Modigliani | 1917/18 | November 9, 2015 | $231.5m | |
| 13 | No. 5, 1948 | Jackson Pollock | 1948 | November 2, 2006 | $223.6m | |
| 14 | Woman III | Willem de Kooning | 1953 | November 18, 2006 | $219.6m | |
| 15 | Masterpiece | Roy Lichtenstein | 1962 | January 2017 | $216.7m | |
| 16 | Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I | Gustav Klimt | 1907 | June 18, 2006 | $215.6m | |
| 17 | Shot Sage Blue Marilyn | Andy Warhol | 1964 | May 9, 2022 | $214.5m | |
| 18 | Le Reve | Pablo Picasso | 1932 | March 26, 2013 | $214.2m | |
| 19 | Portrait of Dr. Gachet | Vincent van Gogh | 1890 | May 15, 1990 | $203.3m | |
| 20 | Nu couche (sur le cote gauche) | Amedeo Modigliani | 1917 | May 15, 2018 | $201.6m | |
| 21 | Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II | Gustav Klimt | 1912 | 2016 | $201.2m | |
| 22 | Three Studies of Lucian Freud | Francis Bacon | 1969 | November 12, 2013 | $196.8m | |
| 23 | Bal du moulin de la Galette | Pierre-Auguste Renoir | 1876 | May 17, 1990 | $192.5m | |
| 24 | Twelve Landscape Screens | Qi Baishi | 1925 | December 17, 2017 | $184.9m | |
| 25 | Number 7A | Jackson Pollock | 1948 | May 18, 2026 | $181.2m | |
| 26 | Garcon a la pipe | Pablo Picasso | 1905 | May 5, 2004 | $177.6m | |
| 27 | Les Poseuses, Ensemble (Petite version) | Georges Seurat | 1888 | November 9, 2022 | $177.3m | |
| 28 | The Scream | Edvard Munch | 1895 | May 2, 2012 | $168.2m | |
| 29 | Otahi | Paul Gauguin | 1893 | 2013 | $165.9m | |
| 30 | Reclining Nude With Blue Cushion | Amedeo Modigliani | 1916 | 2012 | $165m | |
| 31 | La Montagne Sainte-Victoire | Paul Cezanne | 1888-1890 | November 9, 2022 | $164m | |
| 32 | Flag | Jasper Johns | 1958 | March 2010 | $162.4m | |
| 33 | Nude, Green Leaves and Bust | Pablo Picasso | 1932 | May 4, 2010 | $157.2m | |
| 34 | Portrait of Joseph Roulin | Vincent van Gogh | 1889 | August 1, 1989 | $155.8m | |
| 35 | L'Homme assis au verre | Pablo Picasso | 1914 | May 2011 | $153.9m | |
| 36 | Irises | Vincent van Gogh | 1889 | November 11, 1987 | $152.7m | |
| 37 | Dora Maar au Chat | Pablo Picasso | 1941 | May 3, 2006 | $152.1m | |
| 38 | Eight Elvises | Andy Warhol | 1963 | October 2008 | $149.5m | |
| 39 | Young Girl with a Flower Basket | Pablo Picasso | 1905 | May 8, 2018 | $147.4m | |
| 40 | Femme a la montre | Pablo Picasso | 1932 | November 9, 2023 | $147.2m | |
| 41 | Anna's Light | Barnett Newman | 1968 | October 4, 2013 | $146.1m | |
| 42 | Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster) | Andy Warhol | 1963 | November 13, 2013 | $145.7m | |
| 43 | Untitled (Basquiat, 2017) | Jean-Michel Basquiat | 1982 | May 18, 2017 | $145.1m | |
| 44 | Portrait de l'artiste sans barbe | Vincent van Gogh | 1889 | November 19, 1998 | $141.2m | |
| 45 | Meules | Claude Monet | 1890 | May 14, 2019 | $139.4m | |
| 46 | Verger avec cypres | Vincent van Gogh | 1888 | November 9, 2022 | $139.2m | |
| 47 | La Montagne Sainte-Victoire vue du bosquet du Chateau Noir | Paul Cézanne | 1904 | 2013 | $138m | |
| 48 | Massacre of the Innocents | Peter Paul Rubens | 1611 | July 10, 2002 | $137.3m | |
| 49 | Nurse | Roy Lichtenstein | 1964 | November 9, 2015 | $129.5m | |
| 50 | Triptych, 1976 | Francis Bacon | 1976 | May 14, 2008 | $129m | |
| 51 | Les Noces de Pierrette | Pablo Picasso | 1905 | November 30, 1989 | $128.1m | |
| 52 | False Start | Jasper Johns | 1959 | October 12, 2006 | $127.8m | |
| 53 | Te Fare | Paul Gauguin | 1892 | June 2008 | $127.1m | |
| 54 | A Wheatfield with Cypresses | Vincent van Gogh | 1889 | May 1993 | $127m | |
| 55 | Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump | Jean-Michel Basquiat | 1982 | 2020 | $125.9m | |
| 56 | Maternite II | Paul Gauguin | 1899 | November 9, 2022 | $125.6m | |
| 57 | Yo, Picasso | Pablo Picasso | 1901 | May 9, 1989 | $124.3m | |
| 58 | Birch Forest | Gustav Klimt | 1903 | November 9, 2022 | $124.2m | |
| 59 | Turquoise Marilyn | Andy Warhol | 1964 | May 20, 2007 | $124.2m | |
| 60 | The Empire of Light | René Magritte | 1954 | November 19, 2024 | $124.3m | |
| 61 | Femme assise pres d'une fenetre (Marie-Therese) | Pablo Picasso | 1932 | May 13, 2021 | $122.9m | |
| 62 | Portrait of Alfonso d'Avalos with a Page | Titian | 1533 | November 2003 | $122.5m | |
| 63 | Orange, Red, Yellow | Mark Rothko | 1961 | May 8, 2012 | $121.8m | |
| 64 | Le Bassin aux Nympheas | Claude Monet | 1919 | June 24, 2008 | $120.5m | |
| 65 | Chop Suey | Edward Hopper | 1929 | November 13, 2018 | $117.8m | |
| 66 | Rideau, Cruchon et Compotier | Paul Cézanne | 1894 | May 10, 1999 | $116.9m | |
| 67 | Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) | David Hockney | 1972 | November 15, 2018 | $115.8m | |
| 68 | Lady with a Fan | Gustav Klimt | 1917-8 | June 27, 2023 | $114.5m | |
| 69 | Black Fire I | Barnett Newman | 1961 | May 13, 2014 | $114.5m | |
| 70 | White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose) | Mark Rothko | 1950 | May 15, 2007 | $113.1m | |
| 71 | Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers | Vincent van Gogh | 1889 | March 30, 1987 | $112.4m | |
| 72 | Buffalo II | Robert Rauschenberg | 1964 | May 15, 2019 | $111.8m | |
| 73 | Triple Elvis | Andy Warhol | 1963 | November 12, 2014 | $111.4m | |
| 74 | Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car I) | Andy Warhol | 1963 | May 16, 2007 | $111.4m | |
| 75 | No. 10 | Mark Rothko | 1958 | May 13, 2015 | $111.3m | |
| 76 | In This Case | Jean-Michel Basquiat | 1983 | May 11, 2021 | $110.6m | |
| 77 | Suprematist Composition | Kazimir Malevich | 1916 | May 15, 2018 | $110m | |
| 78 | Three Studies for a Portrait of John Edwards | Francis Bacon | 1984 | May 13, 2014 | $109.9m | |
| 79 | Portrait of a Young Man holding a Roundel | Sandro Botticelli | c. 1480 | January 21, 2021 | $109.5m | |
| 80 | Meule | Claude Monet | 1891 | November 16, 2016 | $109.3m | |
| 81 | Nympheas en fleur | Claude Monet | 1914–1917 | May 8, 2018 | $108.6m | |
| 82 | Darmstadt Madonna | Hans Holbein | 1526 | July 12, 2011 | $107m | |
| 83 | Laboureur dans un champ | Vincent van Gogh | 1889 | November 13, 2017 | $106.8m | |
| 84 | Triptych Inspired by the Oresteia of Aeschylus | Francis Bacon | 1981 | June 30, 2020 | $106.5m | |
| 85 | Diana and Actaeon | Titian | 1556–1559 | February 1, 2009 | $106m | |
| 86 | Au Lapin Agile | Pablo Picasso | 1904 | November 27, 1989 | $105.7m | |
| 87 | The Gross Clinic | Thomas Eakins | 1875 | April 12, 2007 | $105.6m | |
| 88 | No 1 (Royal Red and Blue) | Mark Rothko | 1954 | November 13, 2012 | $105.4m | |
| 89 | Acrobate et jeune arlequin | Pablo Picasso | 1905 | November 28, 1988 | $104.9m | |
| 90 | Odalisque couchee aux magnolias | Henri Matisse | 1923 | May 8, 2018 | $103.5m | |
| 91 | Femme aux Bras Croises | Pablo Picasso | 1902 | November 8, 2000 | $102.8m | |
| 92 | Nude Sitting on a Divan | Amedeo Modigliani | 1917 | November 2, 2010 | $101.8m | |
| 93 | Police Gazette | Willem de Kooning | 1955 | October 12, 2006 | $101.4m | |
| 94 | Untitled (Basquiat, 2022) | Jean-Michel Basquiat | 1982 | May 18, 2022 | $101m | |
| 95 | Diana and Callisto | Titian | 1556–1559 | March 2, 2012 | $100.6m | |
| 96 | No. 15 | Mark Rothko | 1964 | May 18, 2026 | $98.4m | |
| 97 | The High Sun | Wang Shaofei | 2007 | May 2017 | $97.2m | |
| 98 | Untitled (New York City) | Cy Twombly | 1968 | November 11, 2015 | $95.8m | |
| 99 | Ten Views Of Lingbi Rock | Wu Bin | 1610 | October 20, 2020 | $95.8m | |
| 100 | Femme assise dans un jardin | Pablo Picasso | 1938 | November 10, 1999 | $95.7m | |
| 101 | Portrait of George Dyer Talking | Francis Bacon | 1966 | February 13, 2014 | $95.4m | |
| 102 | Peasant Woman Against a Background of Wheat | Vincent van Gogh | 1890 | 1997 | $95.3m | |
| 103 | Untitled (Twombly) | Cy Twombly | 1970 | November 12, 2014 | $94.7m | |
| 104 | Four Marlons | Andy Warhol | 1966 | November 12, 2014 | $94.7m | |
| 105 | The Empire of Lights | René Magritte | 1961 | February 3, 2022 | $94.4m | |
| 106 | White Disaster (White Car Crash 19 Times) | Andy Warhol | 1963 | November 17, 2022 | $94.0m | |
| 107 | Large Interior, W11 (after Watteau) | Lucian Freud | 1982 | November 9, 2022 | $93.8m | |
| 108 | Eagle Standing on Pine Tree | Qi Baishi | 1946 | May 22, 2011 | $93.7m | |
| 109 | Men in Her Life | Andy Warhol | 1962 | November 8, 2010 | $93.5m | |
| 110 | Contraste de formes | Fernand Léger | 1913 | November 13, 2017 | $92.0m | |
| 111 | La Gommeuse | Pablo Picasso | 1901 | November 5, 2015 | $91.6m | |
| 112 | Buste de femme (Femme a la resille) | Pablo Picasso | 1938 | May 11, 2015 | $91.5m | |
| 113 | Portrait of a Halberdier | Pontormo | 1537 | May 31, 1989 | $91.4m | |
| 114 | L'Allee des Alyscamps | Vincent van Gogh | 1888 | May 5, 2015 | $90.1m | |
| 115 | Untitled (Rothko, 1952) | Mark Rothko | 1952 | May 13, 2014 | $90.1m | |
| 116 | Untitled XXV | Willem de Kooning | 1977 | November 15, 2016 | $89.0m | |
| 117 | Zhichuan Resettlement | Wang Meng | 1350 | June 4, 2011 | $88.9m | |
| 118 | Femme au beret et a la robe quadrillee | Pablo Picasso | 1937 | February 28, 2018 | $88.7m | |
| 119 | Spring | Édouard Manet | 1881 | November 5, 2014 | $88.6m | |
| 120 | Woman as Landscape | Willem de Kooning | 1955 | November 13, 2018 | $88.3m | |
| 121 | 1949-A-No. 1 | Clyfford Still | 1949 | November 9, 2011 | $88.3m | |
| 122 | No. 7 | Mark Rothko | 1951 | February 19, 2023 | $87.2m | |
| 123 | Blossoming Meadow | Gustav Klimt | c. 1908 | November 18, 2025 | $86.0m | |
| 124 | Brown and Blacks in Reds | Mark Rothko | 1957 | May 15, 2026 | $85.8m | |
| 125 | Cabanes de bois parmi les oliviers et cypres | Vincent van Gogh | 1889 | November 11, 2021 | $84.8m | |
| 126 | Le Bassin Aux Nympheas (1917-19) | Claude Monet | 1917-1919 | May 12, 2021 | $83.6m | |
| 127 | Juin-Octobre 1985 | Zao Wou-Ki | 1985 | September 30, 2018 | $83.6m |
Sources: publicly reported auction and private-sale prices, compiled from widely cited lists of the most expensive paintings and adjusted for inflation to 2025 USD. Private-sale figures are often estimates.