Foreign contemporary artists and their paintings. Artists of modern painting
We present an updated version of the rating that TANR published in 2014
Material updated: Alexey Alekseev, Konstantin Agunovich, Denis Belkevich, Anna Savitskaya, December 22, 2016. Dupdated the material on February 25, 2017 — Eduard Bassalaev.
We already published a similar list in 2014, and we present its updated version. The top 50 includes artists who were born and worked (or continue to work) in the USSR-Russia, whose works over the past ten years have been sold at international auctions for amounts exceeding £30 thousand (the British pound sterling was chosen, since 90% of domestic sales took place in London in this currency).
Ilya and Emilia Kabakov
1. Ilya Kabakov
It seems that he is generally the main Russian artist, the founding father of Moscow conceptualism (one of), the author of the term and practice of “total installation”. Since 1988 he has lived in New York. Works in collaboration with his wife Emilia Kabakova , which is why the title should look like “Ilya and Emilia Kabakov,” but since Ilya Iosifovich became known before Ilya and Emilia, then let it remain so. Works are in the Tretyakov Gallery, Russian Museum, Hermitage, Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA), Kolodzei Art Foundation (USA), etc. Year of birth: 1933
Work: "Beetle". 1982
Date of sale: 02/28/2008
Price (GBP): 2,932,500
2. Erik Bulatov
Using techniques that would later be called social art, he combined figurative painting with text in his works. In Soviet times, a successful illustrator of children's books. Since 1989 he has lived and worked in New York, and since 1992 in Paris. The first Russian artist with a personal exhibition at the Pompidou Center. The works are kept in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Pompidou Center, the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, etc., and are included in the collections of the Dina Verny Foundation, Victor Bondarenko, Vyacheslav Kantor, Catherine And Vladimir Semenikhin, Igor Tsukanov.
Year of birth: 1933
Work: “Glory to the CPSU.” 1975
Date of sale: 02/28/2008
Price (GBP): 1,084,500
3. Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid
The creators of Sots Art - an ironic movement in unofficial art that parodies the symbolism and techniques of officialdom. Since 1978 they have lived in New York. Until the mid-2000s they worked in pairs. As an art project, they organized the “sale of souls” of famous artists through an auction (soul Andy Warhol since then it has been owned by a Moscow artist Alena Kirtsova). Works are in the collections of MoMA, the Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Louvre, and in the collections Shalva Breusa, Daria Zhukova And Roman Abramovich and etc.
Year of birth: 1943, 1945
Work: “Meeting of Solzhenitsyn and Böll at Rostropovich’s dacha.” 1972
Date of sale: 04/23/2010
Price (GBP): 657,250
4. Semyon Faibisovich
A photorealist artist who remains the most precise realist even now, when painting captivates Semyon Natanovich less journalism. He exhibited on Malaya Gruzinskaya, where in 1985 he was noticed by New York dealers and collectors. Since 1987, it has been regularly exhibited in the USA and Western Europe. An active supporter of the repeal of the law on the promotion of homosexuality in Russia. Lives and works in Moscow. Works are in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Moscow House of Photography (Multimedia Art Museum), museums in Germany, Poland, the USA, and are included in the collections Daria Zhukova And Roman Abramovich, Igor Markin, Igor Tsukanov.
Year of birth: 1949
Work: "Soldiers". 1989. From the series “Station Stations”
Date of sale: 10/13/2007
Price (GBP): 311,200
Grisha Bruskin
5. Grigory (Grisha) Bruskin
The protagonist of the first and last Soviet auction at Sotheby’s in 1988, where his “Fundamental Lexicon” became the top lot (£220 thousand). At the invitation of the German government, he created a monumental triptych for the reconstructed Reichstag in Berlin. Winner of the Kandinsky Prize in the category “Project of the Year” for the exhibition “Time “H”” at the Multimedia Art Museum. Lives and works in New York and Moscow. The works are in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, and the Pushkin Museum. A.S. Pushkin, the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, MoMA, the Museum of Jewish Culture (New York), etc., are included in the collections of the Queen of Spain Sofia, Petra Avena, Shalva Breusa, Catherine And Vladimir Semenikhin, Milos Forman.
Year of birth: 1945
Work: “Logies. Part 1". 1987
Date of sale: 07.11.2000
Price (GBP): 424,000
6. Oleg Tselkov
One of the most famous artists of the sixties, in the 1960s he began and still continues a series of paintings in which he depicts rough human faces (or figures) as if sculpted from clay, painted with bright aniline colors. Since 1977 he has lived in Paris. Works are in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Hermitage, the Zimmerli Museum of Rutgers University, etc., and are included in the collections Mikhail Baryshnikov, Arthur Miller, Igor Tsukanov. The largest private collection of Tselkov's works in Russia belongs to Evgeniy Yevtushenko.
Year of birth: 1934
Work: "Boy with Balloons." 1957
Date of sale: 11/26/2008
Price (GBP): 238,406
Snow, darkness, dirt - and Moscow with Renoir in an embrace, Oscar Rabin
7. Oscar Rabin
Leader of the Lianozov group (Moscow nonconformist artists of the 1950s–1960s), organizer of the scandalous Bulldozer exhibition of 1974. He was the first in the Soviet Union to sell works privately. In 1978 he was deprived of Soviet citizenship. Lives in Paris. In 2006 he became a laureate of the Innovation Prize for his contribution to art. Works are in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, the Zimmerli Museum of Rutgers University, and are included in the collections Alexandra Glezer, Vyacheslav Kantor, Alexandra Kronika, Iveta And Tamaz Manasherovs, Evgeniy Nutovich, Aslana Chekhoeva.
Year of birth: 1928
Work: “City and Moon” (“Socialist City”). 1959
Date of sale: 04/15/2008
Price (GBP): 171,939
8. Zurab Tsereteli
The largest representative of already monumental art. Author of the monument Peter I in Moscow and the “Good Conquers Evil” monument in front of the UN building in New York. Founder of the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, president of the Russian Academy of Arts, creator of the Zurab Tsereteli Art Gallery, which operates at the above-mentioned academy. Tsereteli's sculptures, in addition to Russia, adorn Brazil, Great Britain, Georgia, Spain, Lithuania, the USA, France and Japan.
Year of birth: 1934
Work: “Dream of Athos”
Date of sale: 12/01/2009
Price (GBP): 151,250
9. Viktor Pivovarov
One of the founders of Moscow conceptualism. Like Kabakov, inventor of the concept album genre; like Kabakov, Bulatov And Oleg Vasiliev- a successful illustrator of children's books, collaborating with the magazines “Murzilka” and “Funny Pictures”. Since 1982 he has lived and worked in Prague. The works are in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, and the Pushkin Museum. A.S. Pushkin, Kolodzei Art Foundation (USA), in the collections Catherine And Vladimir Semenikhin, Igor Tsukanov.
Year of birth: 1937
Work: “Triptych with a snake.” 2000
Date of sale: 10/18/2008
Price (GBP): 145,250
10. Alexander Melamid
Half of the creative tandem Komar - Melamid, which broke up in 2003. Together with Vitaly Komar participant of the Bulldozer exhibition (where their “Double Self-Portrait”, a fundamental work of Sots Art, was lost). Since 1978 he has lived in New York. There is no information about which famous collections contain Melamid’s works, created by him independently.
Year of birth: 1945
Work: “Cardinal José Saraiva Martins.” 2007
Date of sale: 10/18/2008
Price (GBP): 145,250
11. Francisco Infante-Arana
Owner of perhaps the heaviest list of exhibitions among Russian artists. Member of the kinetic group "Movement", in the 1970s he found his own version of photo performance, or “artifact” - geometric forms integrated into the natural landscape.
Year of birth: 1943
Work: “Building a sign.” 1984
Date of sale: 05/31/2006
Price (GBP): 142,400
12. Vladimir Yankilevsky
Surrealist, one of the main heroes of post-war Moscow unofficial art, creator of monumental philosophical polyptychs.
Year of birth: 1938
Work: “Triptych No. 10. Anatomy of the soul. II". 1970
Date of sale: 04/23/2010
Price (GBP): 133,250
13. Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky
The painting project “Paintings to Order,” which they started in the hopeless 1990s for painting, received what it deserved in the 2000s. The duet became popular among collectors, and one painting ended up in the collection of the Pompidou Center.
Year of birth: 1963, 1964
Work: "Night Fitness". 2004
Date of sale: 06/22/2007
Price (GBP): 132,000
14. Sergey Volkov
One of the heroes of perestroika art, known for his expressive paintings with thoughtful statements. Participant in the Soviet Sotheby's auction in 1988.
Year of birth: 1956
Work: “Double Vision. Triptych"
Date of sale: 05/31/2007
Price (GBP): 132,000
15. AES+F (Tatyana Arzamasova, Lev Evzovich, Evgeniy Svyatsky, Vladimir Fridkes)
The AES+F projects were distinguished by their good presentation in the slapdash 1990s, which is why they were remembered. Now they are making large animated murals that are broadcast on dozens of screens.
Year of birth: 1955, 1958, 1957, 1956
Work: “Warrior No. 4”
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP): 120,500
16. Lev Tabenkin
A sculptor and painter with a sculptural vision, as if sculpting his heroes from clay.
Year of birth: 1952
Work: "Jazz Orchestra". 2004
Date of sale: 06/30/2008
Price (GBP): 117,650
"Dream of a Red Bird" 1988 Olga Bulgakova
17. Olga Bulgakova
One of the main figures of intellectual “carnival” painting of the Brezhnev era. Corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Arts.
Year of birth: 1951
Work: “Dream of a Red Bird.” 1988
Date of sale: 11/22/2010
Price (GBP): 100,876
Sergei and Alexey Tkachev. “Brothers” (“Double Self-Portrait”). 1981–1983. Tretyakov Gallery
18. Sergei and Alexey Tkachev
Classics of late Soviet impressionism, students Arkadia Plastova, famous for their paintings of Russian village life.
Year of birth: 1922, 1925
Work: "Saturday Day". 1973
Date of sale: 10/20/2016
Price (GBP): 97,935
19. Alexander Ivanov
An abstract artist who is known primarily as a businessman, collector and creator of the Faberge Museum in Baden-Baden (Germany).
Year of birth: 1962
Product: Love. 1996
Date of sale: 06/05/2013
Price (GBP): 97,250
20. Ivan Chuikov
An independent wing of Moscow pictorial conceptualism. Author of the series of paintings-objects “Windows”. Somehow in the 1960s he burned all his paintings, which gallerists are still sad about.
Year of birth: 1935
Work: "Untitled". 1986
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP): 96,500
21. Konstantin Zvezdochetov
In his youth, a member of the group "Amanita", whose members called themselves “the fathers of the “new wave” in the Soviet Union” - with good reason; with the onset of creative maturity, he participated in the Venice Biennale and Kassel Documenta. Researcher and connoisseur of the visual in Soviet grassroots culture.
Year of birth: 1958
Product: Perdo-K-62M
Date of sale: 06/13/2008
Price (GBP): 92,446
22. Natalya Nesterova
One of the main art stars of the Brezhnev stagnation. Loved by collectors for its textured, painterly style.
Year of birth: 1944
Work: “The Miller and His Son.” 1969
Date of sale: 06/15/2007
Price (GBP): 92,388
23. Maxim Kantor
An expressionist painter who performed in the Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 1997, as well as a publicist and writer, the author of the philosophical and satirical novel “Drawing Textbook” about the ins and outs of the Russian art world.
Year of birth: 1957
Work: “The Structure of Democracy.” 2003
Date of sale: 10/18/2008
Price (GBP): 87,650
24. Andrey Sidersky
Creates paintings in the style of psy-art he invented. Translated works into Russian Carlos Castaneda And Richard Bach.
Year of birth: 1960
Work: “Triptych”
Date of sale: 12/04/2009
Price (GBP): 90,000
25. Valery Koshlyakov
Known for paintings with architectural motifs. The largest representative of the “South Russian wave”. Often uses cardboard boxes, bags, and tape. The first exhibition with his participation was held in a public toilet in Rostov-on-Don in 1988.
Year of birth: 1962
Product: Moscow. 2006
Date of sale: 10/17/2013
Price (GBP): 84,629
fragment - Near the painting. 1987. Oil on canvas. 200x297. State Tretyakov Gallery.
26. Alexey Sundukov
He creates laconic, leaden-colored paintings about the “leaden abominations” of everyday Russian life.
Year of birth: 1952
Work: “The Essence of Being.” 1988
Price (USD) 103,363
Date of sale: 04/23/2010
27. Nikas Safronov
Year of birth: 1956
Work: “Dream of Italy”
Date of sale: 06/07/2011
Price (GBP): 63,650
28. Igor Novikov
Belongs to the generation of Moscow nonconformist artists of the late 1980s.
Year of birth: 1961
Work: “The Kremlin Breakfast, or Moscow for Sale.” 2009
Date of sale: 03.12.2010
Price (GBP): 62,092
29. Vadim Zakharov
Year of birth: 1959
Work: "Baroque". 1986–1994
Date of sale: 10/18/2008
Price (GBP): 61,250
30. Svetlana Kopystyanskaya
Known for installations of paintings. After the Moscow auction of 1988, Sotheby's works abroad.
Year of birth: 1950
Work: “Seascape”
Date of sale: 10/13/2007
Price (GBP): 57,600
31. Boris Orlov
A sculptor close to social art. He is famous for his works in the ironic “imperial” style and his masterful craftsmanship of bronze busts and bouquets.
Year of birth: 1941
Work: "Sailor". 1976
Date of sale: 10/17/2013
Price (GBP): 55,085
Year of birth: 1939
Artwork: “Self-portrait with a hang glider”
Date of sale: 11/29/2007
Price (GBP): 54,500
33. Evgeny Semenov
Known for his photo series with Down's disease patients playing the roles of gospel characters.
Year of birth: 1960
Work: "Heart". 2009
Date of sale: 06/29/2009
Price (GBP): 49,250
34. Yuri Cooper
He became famous for his nostalgic canvases with old household items. Author of the play “Twelve Pictures from the Life of an Artist,” staged at the Moscow Art Theater. A.P. Chekhov.
Year of birth: 1940
Work: “Window. Dassa Street, 56." 1978
Date of sale: 06/09/2010
Price (GBP): 49,250
35. Alexander Kosolapov
A Sots Art artist whose works have become the target of all sorts of attacks. During the Art Moscow 2005 fair, one of his works was destroyed by a religious fanatic with a hammer.
Year of birth: 1943
Work: "Marlboro Malevich." 1987
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP): 48,500
"A bear hitting a sickle with a hammer." 1996 Sokolov Leonid
36. Leonid Sokov
A leading sculptor of Sots Art who combined folklore with politics. Among the famous works is “A device for determining nationality by the shape of the nose.”
Year of birth: 1941
Work: “A bear hitting a sickle with a hammer.” 1996
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP): 48,500
Year of birth: 1945
Work: “The Last Supper.” 2007
Date of sale: 02/18/2011
Price (GBP): 46,850
Dmitry Gutov and Anatoly Osmolovsky at the opening of the 4th Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art. Photo: Olesya Burlaka 2012.
38. Anatoly Osmolovsky
One of the main figures of Moscow actionism of the 1990s, art theorist, curator, publisher and head of the Baza Institute research and educational program, laureate of the first Kandinsky Prize.
Year of birth: 1969
Work: "Bread". 2009. From the series “Pagans”
Date of sale: 04/23/2010
Price (GBP): 46,850
Wall painting “Brother’s kiss” by Dmitri Vrubel at the East Side Gallery in Berlin.
39. Dmitry Vrubel
Photorealist painter, best known for his depictions of people kissing Brezhnev And Honecker on the Berlin Wall.
Year of birth: 1960
Work: Fraternal kiss (triptych). 1990
Date of sale: 11/25/2013
Price (GBP): 45,000
Year of birth: 1928
Work: "Apple II". 1974–1986. From the series “Seventh Heaven”
Date of sale: 12/16/2009
Price (GBP): 43,910
Left - Gallery XL - Irina Nakhova “Big Red” 1998-1999
41. Irina Nakhova
Muse of Moscow conceptualism. Winner of the 2013 Kandinsky Prize in the “Project of the Year” category. In 2015 she represented Russia at the 56th Venice Biennale.
Year of birth: 1955
Work: "Triptych". 1983
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP): 38,900
42. Katya Filippova
Avant-garde clothing designer who became famous during perestroika. She decorated the windows of the Parisian department store Galeries Lafayette, was friends with Pierre Cardin.
Year of birth: 1958
Work: “Marina Ladynina”. From the series “Russian Hollywood”
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP): 38,900
43. Yuri Albert
Year of birth: 1959
Work: “I am not Kabakov.” 1982
Date of sale: 11/25/2014
Price (GBP): 37,500
44. Boris Zaborov
Theater artist, book illustrator. In 1980 he emigrated to Paris and worked on costumes for the Comedy Française.
Year of birth: 1935
Work: "Participant." 1981
Date of sale: 10/30/2006
Price (GBP): 36,356
Alexey Morozov and Sergey Minaev at the opening of the artist’s exhibition MMOMA 02/09/2017
45. Alexey Morozov
A sculptor and painter, he often turns to ancient subjects. The future, well rooted in the past, has become the constant conceptual seed of his new works.
Year of birth: 1974
Work: "Carrus I (bronze)". 2011
Date of sale: 11/25/2014
Price (GBP): 35,000
46. Mikhail Shemyakin
Painter, graphic artist and sculptor, lover of macabre images. Since 1971 he has lived abroad - first in France, then in the USA. The author of several sensational monuments in Moscow, Samara, St. Petersburg and other cities. Successful theater artist. Laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation.
Year of birth: 1943
Work: "Untitled". 1985
Date of sale: 06/13/2008
Price (GBP): 34,450
47. Rostislav Lebedev
Classic Sots Art artist, colleague (and workshop neighbor) Boris Orlov And Dmitry Prigov. Creatively transformed visual propaganda from Soviet times.
Year of birth: 1946
Work: “Russian Fairy Tale”. 1949
Date of sale: 06/05/2008
Price (GBP): 34,000
48. Andrey Filippov
Belongs to the Moscow conceptual school. Author of paintings and installations united by the theme “Moscow - the third Rome”. Since 2009, together with Yuri Albert And Victor Skersis belongs to the group "Cupid".
Year of birth: 1959
Work: "Seven Feet Under the Keel." 1988
Date of sale: 05/31/2006
Price (GBP): 33,600
2005 “Untitled” Aidan Salakhova
Workshop of Aidan Salakhova 2016
49. Aidan Salakhova
Artist, sculptor, former gallery owner, one of the key figures in contemporary Russian art.
Year of birth: 1964
Work: “Without words No. 14 (marble).” 2015
Date of sale: 06/07/2016
Price (GBP): 32,500
50. Vladimir Shinkarev
Founder and ideologist of the art group "Mitki". In his novel “Mitki” this concept was first introduced. The novel was written out of boredom while working in the boiler room.
How much does contemporary art cost? Which of the living artists enjoy the greatest recognition, the measure of which is banknotes? The Artnet website answered this question by analyzing the results of auctions from 2011 to 2015 and compiling a list best selling contemporary artists. Alas, there were no creators from Russia on the list.
10. Ed Rusha
In the 60s of the last century, Ed, along with such now famous artists as Andy Warhol and Jim Dine, took part in the historical event “New Image of Ordinary Objects”. It was one of the first exhibitions of the emerging Pop Art style in America. To the unenlightened eye, Rushei's paintings most resemble stenciled inscriptions against the backdrop of landscapes or a cheerful splash of flowers. However, within 4 years his creations were sold for a total of $129,030,255.
9. Richard Prince
Richard made a name for himself by re-photographing images from print advertisements, editing them in random order and embellishing them with punchy slogans. Marlboro cowboys, celebrities, porn stars, nurses and biker girlfriends have all suffered at his hands. He also paints car hoods. The public appreciated his works $146,056,862– this is exactly the amount that several of the artist’s works were sold for.
8. Yayoi Kusama
The artist, who suffers from mental illness, likes to cover surfaces with dots of paint - called "infinity nets". She managed to turn both this pea and her own illness into a trademark and is now the best-selling contemporary artist in the world ( $152,768,689).
7. Peter Doig
One of the representatives of traditional landscape painting. His work enjoys constant popularity among viewers who are tired of the hyper-ironic postmodernism - after all, after the inscriptions, collages of photographs and polka-dot chairs, it is so pleasant to stop your gaze on the tropical night landscape. Over the course of 4 years, paintings were sold for $155,229,785.
6. Fan Zeng
Calligraphic inscriptions, transparent watercolor landscapes and portraits in traditional Chinese style are also selling well - $176,718,242 from 2011 to 2015.
5. Cui Ruzhou
This contemporary Chinese artist is famous for his ink paintings of flowers, birds and landscapes. However, ordinary people are unable to understand the powerful power of art - and in 2012, a cleaning lady at the Grand Hayatt Hotel accidentally threw one of his works worth $3.7 million into the trash. Cui Ruzhou's works have sold for the past 4 years $223,551,382.
4. Zeng Fanzhi
Complex multicolor works by another Chinese artist, where living creatures and objects are either entangled in a web or lost in a winter forest, as well as ominous pioneers with bloody hands, also sold well from 2011 to 2015 - for $267,949,220.
3. Christopher Wool
Christopher's trademark is huge white canvases with black lettering. Four of these letters spelling out the word Riot were sold at Sotheby's for $29.9 million. And in just 4 years, the artist’s works were sold for an amount of $323,997,854.
2. Jeff Koons
The former husband of porn star Cicciolina prefers to work in the neo-pop genre. He is especially famous for his steel sculptures imitating toys made from oblong balloons. For one of the works (a steel orange dog) $58.4 million was paid at Christie's auction. Jeff also plans to install a crane in front of the Los Angeles Museum of Art on which a steam locomotive will be hung so that it puffs and emits clouds of smoke. From 2011 to 2015, Koons sold works for a total of $379,778,439.
1. Gerard Richter
In first place in the ranking of artists with the best-selling paintings is a master who does not even consider himself such. According to Gerard, for a long time he created something that was not related to art, composition, color, creativity, etc. Namely, he covered canvases with stains of paint using scrapers and spatulas. One of these paintings called “Abstract Image”, most reminiscent of a watermelon that died in agony, was valued at Sotheby’s auction for $43.6 million, and the artist’s works sold for a modest amount of $1,165,527,419.
Leonardo di Ser Piero da Vinci (April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519) was a famous Italian painter, architect, philosopher, musician, writer, explorer, mathematician, engineer, anatomist, inventor and geologist. He is known for his paintings, the most famous of which are “The Last Supper” and “Mona Lisa,” as well as numerous inventions that were far ahead of their time, but remained only on paper. In addition, Leonardo da Vinci made important contributions to the development of anatomy, astronomy and technology.
Raphael Santi (March 28, 1483 – April 6, 1520) was a great Italian artist and architect active during the Renaissance, spanning the period from the late 15th to the early years of the 16th century. Traditionally, Raphael is considered one of the three great masters of this period, along with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Many of his works are in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, in a room called Raphael's Stanzas. Among others, his most famous work, “The School of Athens,” is located here.
Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velazquez (June 6, 1599 - August 6, 1660) - Spanish painter, portrait painter, court painter of King Philip IV, the greatest representative of the golden age of Spanish painting. In addition to numerous paintings depicting historical and cultural scenes from the past, he painted many portraits of the Spanish royal family, as well as other famous European figures. Velázquez's most famous work is considered to be the painting "Las Meninas" (or "The Family of Philip IV") from 1656, located in the Prado Museum in Madrid.
Pablo Diego Jose Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Maria de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santisima Trinidad Martir Patricio Ruiz y Picasso (October 25, 1881 - April 8, 1973) - world famous Spanish artist and sculptor, founder of the movement in fine art - cubism. Considered one of the greatest artists who influenced the development of fine art in the 20th century. Experts recognized him as the best artist who has lived over the last 100 years, as well as the most “expensive” in the world. During his life, Picasso created about 20 thousand works (according to other sources, 80 thousand).
Vincent Willem van Gogh (March 30, 1853 – July 29, 1890) was a famous Dutch artist who gained fame only after his death. According to many experts, Van Gogh is one of the greatest artists in the history of European art, as well as one of the most prominent representatives of post-impressionism. Author of more than 2,100 works of art, including 870 paintings, 1 thousand drawings and 133 sketches. His numerous self-portraits, landscapes and portraits are among the most recognizable and expensive works of art in the world. The most famous work of Vincent Van Gogh is perhaps considered a series of paintings called “Sunflowers”.
Michelangelo Buonarroti (March 6, 1475 – February 18, 1564) is a world-famous Italian sculptor, artist, architect, poet and thinker who left an indelible imprint on the entire world culture. The artist's most famous work is perhaps the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Among his sculptures, the most famous are “Pieta” (“Lamentation of Christ”) and “David”. Among the works of architecture - the design of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. It is interesting that Michelangelo became the first representative of Western European art whose biography was written during his lifetime.
In fourth place in the ranking of the most famous artists in the world is Masaccio (December 21, 1401-1428), a great Italian artist who had a huge influence on other masters. Masaccio lived a very short life, so there is little biographical evidence about him. Only four of his frescoes have survived, which are undoubtedly the work of Masaccio. Others are believed to have been destroyed. Masaccio's most famous work is considered to be the fresco of the Trinity in the Church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence, Italy.
Peter Paul Rubens (28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish (South Dutch) painter, one of the greatest artists of the Baroque era, known for his extravagant style. He was considered the most versatile artist of his time. In his works, Rubens emphasized and embodied the vitality and sensuality of color. He painted numerous portraits, landscapes and historical paintings with mythological, religious and allegorical subjects. Rubens's most famous work is the triptych “The Descent from the Cross,” painted between 1610 and 1614 and which brought the artist worldwide fame.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (September 29, 1571 – July 18, 1610) was a great Italian artist of the early Baroque period, the founder of European realistic painting of the 17th century. In his works, Caravaggio skillfully used contrasts of light and shadow, focusing on details. He often depicted ordinary Romans, people from the streets and markets in the images of saints and madonnas. Examples include “Matthew the Evangelist,” “Bacchus,” “The Conversion of Saul,” etc. One of the artist’s most famous paintings is “The Lute Player” (1595), which Caravaggio called his most successful piece of painting.
Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (1606-1669) is a famous Dutch painter and engraver who is considered the greatest and most famous artist in the world. Author of about 600 paintings, 300 etchings and 2 thousand drawings. Its characteristic feature is the masterful play with light effects and deep shadows. Rembrandt's most famous work is considered to be the four-meter painting "The Night Watch", painted in 1642 and now kept in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
Today, contemporary painting has gained incredible popularity, so it has become known not only for its tendency to expand boundaries and explore new means of expression, but also for record sales figures in the contemporary art market over the past few years. Moreover, artists from almost all over the world, from America to Asia, enjoy success. Next, you will find out whose names represent the best contemporary painting in the world, who he is, the most expensive contemporary artist, and who fell just short of this title.
The most expensive contemporary artists
Among the myriad names that modern painting has, the paintings of only certain artists enjoy exceptional success. Among them, the most expensive paintings were owned by the famous neo-expressionist and graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, who, however, died at the age of 27. On our list you will see only the first seven of those wealthy artists who are still alive today.
Brice Marden
The works of this American author are quite difficult to classify and lead to a single art movement, although he is often classified as a representative of either minimalism or abstractionism. But unlike artists in these styles, whose paintings seem to have never been touched, Marden's modern painting retains the palette knife strokes and other traces of his work. One of those who influenced his work is considered to be another contemporary artist, Jasper Johns, whose name you will see later.
Zeng Fanzhi
This contemporary artist is one of the main figures in the Chinese art scene today. It was his work called “The Last Supper,” based on the famous work of Leonardo da Vinci, that was sold for $23.3 million and became the most expensive painting that modern Asian painting can boast of. Also famous are the artist’s works “Self-Portrait”, the triptych “Hospital” and paintings from the “Masks” series.
In the 90s, his painting style often underwent changes and eventually moved away from expressionism to symbolism.
Peter Doig
Peter Doig is an internationally renowned Scottish contemporary artist whose work is permeated by the theme of magical realism. Many of his works tend to disorient the viewer, even when they depict recognizable images such as figures, trees and buildings.
In 2015, his painting “Swamped” managed to break the record and become the most expensive painting by contemporary artists from Scotland, being sold at auction for 25.9 million. Doig’s paintings “The Architect’s House in the Hollow”, “White Canoe”, “Reflection”, “Roadside Diner” and others are also popular.
Christopher Wool
In his work, contemporary artist Christopher Wool explores various post-conceptual ideas. The artist's most famous contemporary paintings are block lettering depicted in black on a white canvas.
Such paintings by contemporary artists cause a lot of controversy and discontent among adherents of traditional painting, but, one way or another, one of Wool’s works, “Apocalypse,” brought him $26 million. Wool does not think long about the titles of the paintings, but names them according to the inscriptions: “Blue Fool”, “Trouble”, etc.
Jasper Johns
Contemporary artist Jasper Johns is known for his rebellious attitude towards Abstract Expressionism, which dominated the painting arena early in the artist's career. Moreover, he works by creating expensive canvases with flags, license plates, numbers and other well-known symbols that already have a clear meaning and do not need to be deciphered.
By the way, the most expensive paintings by contemporary artists include the American work “Flag”, sold at auction in 2010 for $28 million. You can also look at the works “Three Flags”, “False Start”, “From 0 to 9”, “Target with Four Faces” and many others.
Gerhard Richter
This modern artist from Germany, like many painters at the beginning of his career, studied realistic academic painting, but later became interested in more progressive art.
In the author’s work one can see the influence of many art movements of the 20th century, such as abstract expressionism, pop art, minimalism and conceptualism, but at the same time Richter retained a skeptical attitude towards all established artistic and philosophical beliefs, being confident that modern painting is dynamics and search. The artist’s works include “Land of Meadows”, “Reading”, “1024 Colors”, “Wall”, etc.
Jeff Koons
And finally, here he is - the most expensive contemporary artist in the whole world. American Jeff Koons works in the neo-pop style and is known for his catchy, kitschy and defiant creativity.
He is mainly known as the author of a huge number of modern sculptures, some of which were exhibited at Versailles itself. But also among the artist’s works there are paintings for which special connoisseurs are willing to pay millions of dollars: “Bell of Liberty”, “Auto”, “Girl with a Dolphin and a Monkey”, “Saddle” and others.
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Major international auctions are increasingly including contemporary Russian artists in their auctions of post-war and contemporary art. In February 2007, Sotheby’s held the first and almost sensational specialized auction of Russian contemporary art, which brought 22 auction records. “Artguide” decided to find out which of our contemporary artists collected the largest sums at international auctions and, having compiled the top 10 most expensive living Russian artists based on the results of auction sales, discovered some interesting patterns. All sales prices are based on auction house data and include buyer's premium.
Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky. Night fitness. Fragment. Courtesy authors (www.dubossarskyvinogradov.com)
Of course, there could be no doubt about who exactly became the leader of the auction race: Ilya Kabakov’s grandiose “Beetle”, sold in February 2008 at Phillips de Pury for almost £3 million, is probably remembered by everyone who is interested in contemporary art. A funny children's rhyme, the text of which is written on a wooden panel with a beetle, even acquired a thoughtful intonation in the art historical and market interpretation: “My beetle breaks out, jumps, chirps, it doesn’t want to get into my collection” - this metaphorically means the passion of a collector of modern art, for this same beetle bargaining. (The verse quoted by Kabakov, written by the architect A. Maslennikova, an amateur poet from Voronezh, was published in the children’s collection of poems, rhymes and riddles “Between Summer and Winter”, published in 1976 by the publishing house “Children’s Literature” - and Kabakov illustrated this book True, that beetle was not in his black and white illustrations).
It should be added that if we were not making the top 10 most expensive living artists, but the top 10 of their most expensive works, then Kabakov’s paintings would take the first three places on this list. That is, the three most expensive works of a living Russian artist belong to him - in addition to “Beetle”, these are “Luxury Room” 1981 (Phillips de Pury, London, June 21, 2007, £2.036 million) and “Vacation No. 10” 1987 (Phillips de Pury London, 14 April 2011, £1.497 million). On top of that, the generous Kabakov “gave” another record to the Vienna auction Dorotheum - a year ago, on November 24, 2011, the painting “At the University” went there for €754.8 thousand, becoming the most expensive work of contemporary art ever sold at this auction.
The silver medalist will probably also be easily named by many - this is Eric Bulatov, whose canvas “Glory to the CPSU” was sold for a record amount for the artist at the same Phillips de Pury auction as Kabakov’s “Beetle.”
But the third place of the nonconformist Evgeny Chubarov, whose late work “Untitled” went to Phillips de Pury for £720 thousand in June 2007, could be called a surprise, if not for the fact that a few months earlier, in February the same year, Chubarov had already created a sensation at Sotheby's in London, at a specialized auction of Russian contemporary art, where his work with the same title (or rather, without it) was sold for £288 thousand (with an upper estimate of £60 thousand), not only beating the supposed top lot of that auction, Bulatov’s painting “Revolution - Perestroika” (sale price £198 thousand), but also becoming the most expensive work of a living Russian artist at that time. By the way, here it is, the irony of currency exchange rate fluctuations: in November 2000, Grisha Bruskin’s polyptych was sold in New York for $424 thousand, and then in pounds sterling it was £296.7 thousand, and in February 2007, when it was installed Chubarov’s first record is already only £216.6 thousand.
Works by fourth place winners Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid are frequent and quite successful lots at Western auctions, although their estimates rarely exceed £100 thousand. The duo’s second most expensive work is “The Yalta Conference. The Judgment of Paris" was sold at Macdougall's auction in 2007 for £184.4 thousand. But it should be taken into account, of course, that the painting that brought them fourth place belongs to fairly early works that rarely appear at auction and that it was exhibited in 1976 at the first (and very high-profile) foreign exhibition of Komar and Melamid at the Ronald Feldman Gallery in New York.
Following Komar and Melamid, Oleg Vasiliev and Semyon Faibisovich consistently hold a high bar at auctions. Vasiliev was third at that extraordinarily successful 2008 Phillips de Pury auction, which brought records to Ilya Kabakov and Erik Bulatov, and Faibisovich was fourth. Then Vasiliev’s painting “Variation on the theme of the cover of the magazine “Ogonyok”” from 1980 was sold for ₤356 thousand with an estimate of ₤120 thousand, and “Another look at the Black Sea” by Faibisovich from 1986 was sold for £300.5 thousand with an estimate of ₤120 thousand. Estimate £60-80 thousand Works by both artists often fetch six-figure sums at auction.
True, it was not the record-breaking “Soldiers” that brought Faibisovich fame at auction, but the painting “Beauty,” sold at Sotheby’s on March 12, 2008 - this was the auction house’s second auction of contemporary Russian art, not counting the Moscow auction in 1988. The painting (its other name is “The First of May”) then went for £264 thousand with an estimate of £60-80 thousand; a real battle broke out between buyers for it. Another painting by Faibisovich “On Moskovskaya Street” at that auction exceeded the estimate twice and was sold for £126 thousand. We add that, according to the Artprice portal, Semyon Faibisovich is the only Russian artist included in the top 500 best-selling 2011-2012.
About the same can be said about Oleg Tselkov, who occupies eighth place in the top 10. Already half a century ago, he found his style and theme, a recognizable and authoritative artist, he regularly supplies auctions with his fluorescent round faces, which have continued success. The second most expensive painting by Tselkov, “Five Faces,” was sold in June 2007 at MacDougall’s for £223.1 thousand, the third, “Two with Beetles,” was sold in November of the same year at the same auction (MacDougall’s always puts up for auction several Tselkovs of different price range) for £202.4 thousand.
Grisha Bruskin has played a special role in the auction history of Russian contemporary art since 1988, with the Moscow Sotheby's auction entitled Russian Avant-Garde and Soviet Contemporary Art, where his “Fundamental Lexicon” was sold for a sensational £220 thousand, 12 times higher estimate. About the same thing, and maybe even more sensational, happened with the polyptych “Logia. Part I” in 2000 at Christie’s in New York: the polyptych went for $424 thousand, exceeding the upper estimate by 21 (!) times - this alone can be considered a kind of record. Most likely, this extraordinary purchase is due not least to the significance of Bruskin’s name as the hero of the legendary Moscow Sotheby’s auction, because no other auction sales of Bruskin even come close to these amounts.
The price of Oscar Rabin does not fluctuate, but is steadily and very noticeably growing, especially for works of the Soviet period - all the most expensive works of this master sold at auction were painted in the late 1950s - early 1970s. These are (in addition to his record-breaking "Socialist City") "Baths (Smell the Cologne "Moscow", 1966, Sotheby's, New York, April 17, 2007, $336 thousand) and "Violin in the Cemetery" (1969, Macdougall's, London, November 27 2006, £168.46).
The top ten are closed by representatives of the younger generation - Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky, whose most expensive paintings were sold at Phillips de Pury (the second most expensive is “The Last Butterfly”, 1997, Phillips de Pury, New York, $181 thousand). These artists, in general, continue a trend that is quite clearly noticeable in the ranking of the most expensive paintings by living artists. We’ll talk about it a little lower, but for now here’s, finally, a list of the most expensive works of living Russian artists.
Top 10 works by living Russian artists
1. Ilya Kabakov (b. 1933). Bug. 1982. Wood, enamel. 226.5 x 148.5. Phillips de Pury & Company auction, London, February 28, 2008. Estimate £1.2-1.8 million. Sale price £2.93 million.
2. Erik Bulatov (b. 1933). Glory to the CPSU. 1975. Oil on canvas. 229.5 x 229. Phillips de Pury & Company auction, London, February 28, 2008. Estimate £500-700 thousand. Sale price £1.084 million.
3. Evgeny Chubarov (b. 1934). Untitled. 1994. Oil on canvas. 300 x 200. Phillips de Pury & Company auction, London, June 22, 2007. Estimate £100-150 thousand. Sale price £720 thousand.
4. Vitaly Komar (b. 1943) and Alexander Melamid (b. 1945). Meeting between Solzhenitsyn and Bell at Rostropovich's dacha. 1972. Oil on canvas, collage, gold foil. 175 x 120. Phillips de Pury & Company auction, London, April 23, 2010. Estimate £100-150 thousand. Sale price £657.25 thousand.
5. Oleg Vasiliev (b. 1931). Before sunset. 1990. Oil on canvas. 210 x 165. Sotheby’s auction, London, March 12, 2008. Estimate £200-300 thousand. Sale price £468.5 thousand.
6. Semyon Faibisovich (b. 1949). Soldiers. From the series “Stations”. 1989. Oil on canvas. 285.4 x 190.5. Phillips de Pury & Company auction, London, October 13, 2007. Estimate £40-60 thousand. Sale price £311.2 thousand.
8. Oleg Tselkov (b. 1934). Boy with balloons. Canvas, oil. 103.5 x 68.5. MacDougall's auction, London, November 28, 2008. Estimate £200-300 thousand. Sale price £238.4 thousand.
9. Oscar Rabin (b. 1928). City and Moon (Socialist City). 1959. Oil on canvas. 90 x 109. Sotheby’s auction, New York, April 15, 2008. Estimate $120-160 thousand. Sale price $337 thousand (£171.4 at the dollar to pound sterling exchange rate as of April 2008).
10. Alexander Vinogradov (b. 1963) and Vladimir Dubossarsky (b. 1964). Night training. 2004. Oil on canvas. 194.9 x 294.3. Phillips de Pury & Company auction, London, June 22, 2007. Estimate £15-20 thousand. Sale price £132 thousand.
It is known that auction prices are an irrational thing and one cannot judge by them the true role and significance of the artist in the artistic process. But from them and from the top lots one can roughly judge collector’s preferences. What are they? You don't need to be an expert to answer this question. They are obvious. Firstly, all the artists (except perhaps Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky) are “living classics” in years, and very respectable ones at that. Secondly, for almost each of them the records were set not by works of recent years, but by much earlier ones, that is, the pattern “the older, the better” is relevant here too. Thirdly, without exception, all works from the top 10 are easel paintings. Fourthly, these are all large and very large paintings. The only ones that can be considered more or less “standard” in this regard are “The City and the Moon” by Oscar Rabin and “The Boy with Balloons” by Oleg Tselkov; all the others greatly exceed human height in height (not even in width). Finally, for all these artists, the theme of the Soviet (in particular, nonconformist) past is in one way or another relevant, in many cases accentuated in their works. It seems that our collectors are experiencing acute nostalgia for this very Soviet past (it is well known that it is Russian collectors who buy Russian art in the West).
Younger than the other leaders of auction sales, Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky are somewhat stubbornly trying to break out of the dozens of harsh nonconformists, but this is only at first glance. In fact, if you imagine which of the generations following Kabakov, Bulatov, Rabin, Vasiliev, Tselkov can best meet the above criteria for purchase (large-sized easel paintings, rehashes of Soviet genres, motifs and stylistics), then this will probably turn out to be Vinogradov and Dubossarsky, worthy heirs of the masters of previous decades. At least judging by auction sales.
