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This article was first published 10 years ago

IN PIX: Famous paintings that cost a fortune

November 14, 2013 08:29 IST

Image: Artist Francis Bacon's 'Three Studies of Lucian Freud' is seen during a media preview at Christie's Auction House in New York.
Photographs: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

Irish-born British figurative painter Francis Bacon's painting ‘Three Studies of Lucian Freud’ became the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction. The three-panelled painting on Tuesday fetched $142.4 million (888.32 crore) at Christie's, in one of the biggest auctions in history. 

The painting depicts the Dublin-born painter's friend and fellow artist Lucian Freud on a chair, with a view from each side and one face-on. Christie’s described it “a true masterpiece that marks Bacon and Freud's relationship” and their “creative and emotional kinship.”

The 1969 triptych carried a pre-sale estimate of about $85 million topped Edvard Munch's ‘The Scream’ that was sold for over $119 million (Rs 630 crore) in May of last year at Sotheby's. 

The previous record for a Bacon work of art was $86.3 million, in 2008.

The bidding, which started at a whopping $80 million, sold after a drawn-out bidding in the New York salesroom and via telephone.

Christie's did not disclose the identity of the successful buyer.

Take a look at some of the most valuable paintings sold in recent times.

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'The Scream'

Image: Edvard Munch's painting 'The Scream' is displayed in the MunchMuseum in Oslo
Photographs: Reuters

Edvard Munch's iconic painting 'The Scream', considered one of the most recognisable in art world, was sold for over $119 million (Rs 630 crore), creating a new record for the highest price ever paid for a work of art at any auction.

The auction house did not release the name or any other details of the buyer. The bidder was participating in the auction through phone.

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'Nude, Green Leaves and Bust'

Image: Pablo Picasso
Photographs: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

Painter: Pablo Picasso, Spain

Painting: Nude, Green Leaves and Bust

Price: $106.5 million (Rs 564.4 crore)

Nude, Green Leaves and Bust is one of a series of portraits that Picasso painted of his mistress and muse Marie-Thérèse Walter from 1932. The vibrant blue and lilac canvas is more than 5 feet (1.5 m) tall.

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'Femme assise dans un fauteuil'

Image: Guards stand near Pablo Picasso's painting
Photographs: Lee Celano/Reuters

Painter: Pablo Picasso, Spain

Painting: Femme assise dans un fauteuil (Woman sitting in a chair)

Price: $29.2 million (Rs 152 crore)

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'Printemps necrophilique'

Image: The Printemps necrophilique displayed at an exhibition (inset) Salvador Dali
Photographs: Photographs: Courtesy: vg.no

Painter: Salvador Dali

Painting: Printemps necrophilique (Spring necrophilic)

Price: $16.3 million (Rs 84.76 crore)

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'Tete humaine'

Image: A worker stands beside Joan Miro
Photographs: Lee Celano/Reuters

Painter: Joan Miro, Barcelona, Spain

Painting: Tete humaine (Human head)

Price: $14.86 million (Rs 77.2 crore)

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'Leonora in the Morning Light'

Image: Leonora in the Morning Light
Photographs: Courtesy: artinfo.com

Painter: Max Ernst, Germany

Painting: Leonora in the Morning Light

Price: $7.9 million (Rs 41 crore)

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'Cabane Sous les Arbres'

Image: Cabane Sous les Arbres
Photographs: Courtesy: paul-gauguin.net

Painter: Paul Gauguin

Painting: Cabane Sous les Arbres (Cabin Under the Trees)

Price: $8.4 million (Rs 43.6 crore)

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'Le Chasseur de chez Maxim's'

Image: Le Chasseur de chez Maxim's
Photographs: Courtesy: nordonart

Painter: Chaim Soutine, Belarus

Painting: Le Chasseur de chez Maxim's (The Hunter at Maxim's)

Price: $9.3 million (Rs 48.4 crore)

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'No. 5, 1948'

Image: No. 5, 1948
Photographs: Courtesy: artfortune.com

Painter: Jackson Pollock, United States

Painting: No. 5, 1948

Price: $140 million (Rs 730 crore)

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'Triptych, 1976'

Image: A visitor looks at Francis Bacon's Triptych
Photographs: Alessia Pierdomenico/Reuters

Painter: Francis Bacon, Dublin, Ireland

Painting: Triptych, 1976

Price: $86 million (Rs 447 crore)

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'Le Bassin aux Nympheas'

Image: A man walks past Le Bassin aux Nympheas during a preview of Sotheby's Impressionist & Modern Art auction in New York
Photographs: Lucas Jackson/Reuters

Painter: Claude Monet, France

Painting: Le Bassin aux Nympheas (The water lily pond)

Price: $80 million (Rs 416 crore)

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'Mona Lisa'

Image: A copy of Leonardo Da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa painting from Madrid's El Prado Museum is pictured at the Louvre museum in Paris
Photographs: Charles Platiau/Reuters

Painting: Mona Lisa

Painter: Leonardo da Vinci, Italy

Price: Approximately $720 million (Rs 3,744 crore)

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