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IN PIX: Famous paintings that cost a fortune

November 14, 2013 08:29 IST
Artist Francis Bacon's 'Three Studies of Lucian Freud' is seen during a media preview at Christie's Auction House in New York.

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'

November 14, 2013 08:29 IST
Edvard Munch's painting 'The Scream' is displayed in the MunchMuseum in Oslo

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'

November 14, 2013 08:29 IST
Pablo Picasso

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'

November 14, 2013 08:29 IST
Guards stand near Pablo Picasso's painting

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'

November 14, 2013 08:29 IST
The Printemps necrophilique displayed at an exhibition (inset) Salvador Dali

Painter: Salvador Dali

Painting: Printemps necrophilique (Spring necrophilic)

Price: $16.3 million (Rs 84.76 crore)

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'Tete humaine'

November 14, 2013 08:29 IST
A worker stands beside Joan Miro

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'

November 14, 2013 08:29 IST
Leonora in the Morning Light

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'

November 14, 2013 08:29 IST
Cabane Sous les Arbres

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'

November 14, 2013 08:29 IST
Le Chasseur de chez Maxim's

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'

November 14, 2013 08:29 IST
No. 5, 1948

Painter: Jackson Pollock, United States

Painting: No. 5, 1948

Price: $140 million (Rs 730 crore)

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'Triptych, 1976'

November 14, 2013 08:29 IST
A visitor looks at Francis Bacon's Triptych

Painter: Francis Bacon, Dublin, Ireland

Painting: Triptych, 1976

Price: $86 million (Rs 447 crore)

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'Le Bassin aux Nympheas'

November 14, 2013 08:29 IST
A man walks past Le Bassin aux Nympheas during a preview of Sotheby's Impressionist & Modern Art auction in New York

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'

November 14, 2013 08:29 IST
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

Painting: Mona Lisa

Painter: Leonardo da Vinci, Italy

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

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November 14, 2013 08:29 IST

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