Lot's of peeps like to describe works of art as "priceless" but most stuff can be bought - if you have enough money, that is. KW checks out the 5 most expensive paintings in the world - consider it a little catalogue for all you future billionaire art-lovers.
Pricey Painting - Garcon a la Pipe
Pablo Picasso paited Garcon a la Pipe (Boy with a Pipe) in 1905, when he was just 24 years old. In 2004 it became the most expensive piece of art ever when it sold in New York for $104 million. The painting is of a young Parisian boy, dressed in blue, holding a pipe and wearing a garland of roses.
Pricey Painting - Portrait of Dr Gachet
The Portrait of Doctor Gachet by Vincent Van Gogh used to hold the title of "most expensive painting" until 2004. A Japanese businessman, Ryoei Saito, paid $82.5 million for Vincent Van Gogh's painting in an auction in New York. Van Gogh once wrote of Doctor Gachet, "First of all, he is sicker than I am, I think, or shall we say just as much." Um, Okay.
Pricey Painting - Au Moulin de la Galette
The same Japanese businessman paid $78.1 million for Au Moulin de la Galette by Pierre-Auguste Renoir two days after he bought the Van Gogh. Au Moulin de la Galette is a lot happier - it highlights a joyous feast-like event, with men chatting up the ladies and generally having a good time. Apparently, many of the people in the painting are the painter's friends.
Pricey Painting - Portrait de l'artiste sans barbe
Vincent Van Gogh shaved his beard off and painted this self-portrait, Portrait de l'artiste sans barbe, for his mother before he killed himself. Not the coolest way of saying "Happy Mothers Day." In 1998, a buyer paid $71.5 million at an auction in New York City. The auction house had originally estimated this self-portrait at $20 million.
Pricey Painting - Femme aux Bras Croisés
Pablo Picasso's painting Femme aux Bras Croisés was sold for $65 million on November 8, 2000, at Christie's Rockefeller in New York City. The picture is of a sad looking lady dressed in blue. Why is it that so few expensive paintings are happy?
