Haven’t we all passed through that phase of our childhood when Sunday mornings meant a trip to our sketching and painting classes? Most of us, at least has that experience. Our over enthusiastic parents probably wanted us to be all rounders and got us admitted in every extracurricular activities possible. But you have to agree, one has to be born with talents if he wants to make a mark. We have all heard about Pablo Picasso, Leonardo Da Vinci and all famous painters but how many of us actually have an idea how widely loved and respected their works are? This list of ‘Top 5 Most Expensive Paintings’ might help you have an idea of that. The most expensive paintings in the world have been painted by some immensely talented painters who have created history with their brushes against the canvas. Let’s have a closer look:

Most Expensive Paintings

5. Portrait of Dr. Gachet

At number five, we have this famous painting by the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh, depicting Dr. Paul Gachet, who took care of the artist during the last few months of his life. There are two authenticated versions of the portrait, both of which were painted in June, 1890. This one, which was the first version, was sold in 1990 at a New York auction for an amount of $82.5 million.

4. Boy with a Pipe

The very famous painter Pablo Picasso painted Garcon a la pipe, or Boy with a Pipe in 1905, when he was 24 year old, during his Rose Period. The oil canvas painting shows a Parisian boy holding a pipe in his left hand and holding a garland of flowers. Picasso is known to have used many local people of where he stayed in his pictures, but little is known about this boy. This painting was first bought by John Hay Whitney in 1950 for $30,000. On May 5, 2004 this painting was sold at an auction in New York for $104,168,000. Critics say that the painting’s insane price and fame is more because of the artist’s name than the painting itself.

3. Portrait of Adele Bloch- Bauer I

This is a 1907 painting by Gustav Klimt has been referred to as the most representative work of his golden phase. The painting was corrected by the Nazis and after a chaos over its ownership, the Portrait of Adele Bloch – Bauer I was sold to Ronald Lauder for a whopping $ 135 million in June 2006, which made it the most expensive painting in the world for four months. Klimt took three years to complete this expensive painting. Adele Bloch- Bauer was the only model to be painted twice by Klimt.

2. Woman III

Woman III is a painting by abstract expressionist painter Willem de Kooning. Woman III belongs to a series of six paintings by the painter from the year 1951 to 1953. This painting was earlier a part of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, and was sold to David Geffen in 1994. In November 2006, this painting was sold by David Geffen to Steven A. Cohen for $137.5 million, making it the world’s second most expensive painting.

1. No. 5, 1948

American painter Jackson Pollock, who is known for his contribution to the abstract expressionist movement, painted this on an 8’x4’ sheet of fiberboard. No. 5, 1948 was originally owned by Samuel Irving Newhouse Jr, and was displayed at the Museum of Modern Art before being sold to David Geffen in 2006 for $140 million, making it the most expensive painting in the world ever.

So, surprised to know that a painting can cost so much? Well, we know famous paintings are costly, but this much? These work of sheer excellence and their prices never fail to mesmerize us and it would be no shock if these paintings again face a upward rise in prices.

The post Top 5 Most Expensive Paintings Ever appeared first on Top5ives.