Fashionable artists of the 21st century. Artists of modern painting

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.

The photo shows a painting by the famous contemporary Italian artist Aurelio Bruni. He lives and works in Umbria. The artist paints in the style of hyperrealism and symbolism, organized 25 personal exhibitions, participated in 53 collective exhibitions, and has 10 various awards and prizes.

“The Road to York via Sledmere” is a painting by the famous contemporary British artist David Hockney. On 21 June 2006, Hockney's Splash was sold for £2.6 million. His Grand Canyon painting, made up of 60 small paintings combined to create one huge painting, was bought by the National Gallery of Australia for $4.6 million. The painting "The Housewife of Beverly Hills" sold for $7.9 million at Christie's in New York. In 2016, his landscape "Waldgate Woods" was sold at Sotheby's for £9.4 million. This price became a new record for David Hockney.

The photo shows a painting by the famous contemporary American artist Warren Chang. Thanks to his masterful rendering of light and muted tones, his paintings look very realistic and perfectly convey emotions and mood. Most of his paintings depict people engaged in their professional activities or everyday activities. He also paints interior paintings. Warren Chang has many different titles and awards. Lives and works in Monterey, California.

The painting is an abstraction of the modern famous German artist Gerhard Richter, who is one of the richest artists in the whole world. The painting shown in this photo was sold in London at Sotheby's for $44.52 million (30.4 million).

The photo shows a painting by the famous contemporary French artist Martial Rice. In 1993, one of his works was bought by billionaire Francois Pinault. In 2011, Rice’s painting “The Last Year in Capri” was sold for $6.58 million at Christie’s auction (at the highest price among all previously sold works by other living French artists). In 2013, he entered the Top 50 most expensive living artists.

Painting by the famous contemporary Canadian artist Albini Leblanc, a master of miniature cityscapes with a palette knife. The artist lives and works in Quebec. His work can be seen in art galleries in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Quebec City. Albini Leblanc organized 15 personal exhibitions, participated in 7 collective exhibitions, and has 8 different awards and prizes.

The photo shows a painting by the famous contemporary Japanese artist Tomoko Kashiki. The artist organized solo exhibitions in Singapore, France and Japan, and participated in collective exhibitions in China, the USA, Australia, Japan, Indonesia, Great Britain, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore. Her work can be seen in public collections at the Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia; in one of the largest Japanese insurance companies - Dai-ichi Life Insurance Limited; at the Museum of Old and New Art, Tasmania, Australia; in Toyota Art Collection.

Painting “Coloring” by the famous modern Ukrainian artist Oleg Tistol. This painting sold at Phillips for $53,900. According to Forbes, Oleg Tistol is one of the three most successful artists in Ukraine. He was born in Vradievka, Nikolaev region, lives and works in Kiev, is a member of the Union of Artists of Ukraine, took part in many exhibitions in Ukraine, Russia, Estonia, Poland, USA, Iceland, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Great Britain, Denmark, Brazil, Germany , Norway, France and Italy. Oleg Tistol participated in the biennale: in 1994 - “17th September”, 22nd Biennale in Sao Paulo; in 2001 - “The first Ukrainian project”, 49th Venice Biennale. His paintings are in collections: in the PinchukArtCentre, in Kyiv, in Ukraine; in the Norton Dodge Collection, in the USA; at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; at the Christoph Merian Stiftung, Basel, Switzerland; at the Ministry of Culture of Turkey, in Ankara; at the Museum of the History of Moscow, Russia.

The photo shows a painting by the famous contemporary Polish artist Wojciech Babski. The artist lives and works in Katowice. It is popular not only in Poland, but also abroad. Wojciech Babski received the following awards: 1st place in the nomination "The 2016 American Art Awards" in the category of pop art paintings; 1st place in the nomination "The 2016 American Art Awards" in the category of paintings commenting on politics; 3rd place in the category "The 2016 American Art Awards" in the category acrylic paintings; 4th and 5th places in the nomination "The 2016 American Art Awards" in the category of expressionism.

The photo shows a painting by the famous contemporary Belarusian artist Anna Silivonchik. The artist was born in Gomel, today she lives and works in Minsk. Anna Silivonchik is a member of the Belarusian Union of Artists, was awarded the medal “Talent and Vocation” by the international alliance “Peacemaker”, her works are in the National Museum of the Republic of Belarus, the Museum of Modern Art in Minsk, the Museum of Contemporary Russian Art in Jersey City (USA), funds Gomel Palace and Park Ensemble, Yelabuga State Museum-Reserve in Russia, private collections in Belarus, Russia, France, USA, Japan, Israel, Italy, Germany and Poland. In the period from 2001 to 2016, the artist organized many personal exhibitions in Belarus, Russia, Germany and Ukraine, and also participated in collective exhibitions in Belarus, USA, Russia, Estonia, Ukraine, Latvia, Czech Republic, Poland, Germany , Hungary, the Netherlands and Kazakhstan.

Painting by the famous modern Turkish artist Gürbüz Dogan Ekcioglu. The world-famous Turkish cartoonist and graphic artist, originally from Ordu, has more than 70 awards, approximately a third of which are international. Grbz Doan Ekiolu participated in many collective exhibitions, both in Turkey and abroad, and held more than 20 personal exhibitions, one of which was held in New York. His work has been published in the Atlantic, the New York Times, and has graced the covers of the New Yorker and Forbes magazines.

Painting by the famous contemporary Egyptian artist Hossam Dirar. The artist was born, lives and works in Cairo. Hossam Dirar has held many solo exhibitions in countries such as: Bahrain, Great Britain, Slovakia, Italy, France, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia and Egypt. He also participated in collective exhibitions in Germany, Egypt and South Africa.

The photo shows a painting by the famous contemporary Chinese artist Zeng Fanzhi “The Last Supper”. This painting was sold in October 2013 in Hong Kong at Sotheby's for $23.3 million, setting a new record for contemporary Asian art. Earlier, in May 2008, when Christie's held its first sale of Asian contemporary art in Hong Kong , his Mask Series Painting No. 6 sold for HK$75,367,500. This was a world record that year for sale price among all artists.

The photo shows a painting by the famous contemporary Greek artist Nikos Giftakis. The artist was born, lives and works in Athens. He is very popular not only in Greece, he organized personal exhibitions and participated in many collective exhibitions in countries such as Switzerland, Cyprus, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Sweden, Brazil, Russia and Greece.

Painting by the famous contemporary Georgian artist David Popiashvili. The artist is from Tbilisi, is a member of the Union of Artists of Georgia, and has participated in exhibitions in France, Germany, Bulgaria, Russia and Georgia. Many of his works are in museums and private collections in Georgia and abroad.

The painting was painted by the famous contemporary UAE artist Abdul Qader Al-Rais. The artist is one of the founders of the Emirates Fine Arts Society and is considered one of the pioneers of contemporary art in the Emirates. His work can be found in the Emirates Palace (the presidential hotel in Abu Dhabi), government offices and in the personal art collections of members of the royal family in Dubai. The artist participated in various collective exhibitions, and also organized personal exhibitions in different countries (Czech Republic, Lebanon, USA, Germany, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the UAE), and received many awards.

The photo shows a painting by the famous contemporary Dutch artist Tjalf Sparnaay. The artist is originally from the Netherlands, lives and works in the city of Hilversum, organized 14 solo exhibitions and participated in many collective exhibitions in different countries (USA, UK, Belgium, Estonia, Germany, Canada, Austria and the Netherlands). His works are in private and public collections in many countries.

Painting by the famous contemporary Spanish artist Miguel Barceló. In 2003 he received the Prince of Asturias Prize for Art, one of the most important prizes in Spain. In 2004, he exhibited at the Louvre the watercolors he created to illustrate The Divine Comedy, becoming the first living contemporary artist to exhibit at the museum. The artist is among the top 30 richest artists in the world. His paintings are expensive. For example, this one, the photo of which is presented above, costs 244,398 USD.

The painting was painted by the famous contemporary Swiss artist Urs Fischer. The artist, originally from Zurich, is among the top 50 richest artists in the world. He is famous for his provocative approach to art, but is subject to its laws; he opposes the presentation of art as a commercial commodity, although he himself sells his works at high prices, skillfully interacting with the art market and collectors.

The photo shows a painting by the famous contemporary Israeli artist Orna Ben-Shoshan. She lives and works in the city of Ra'anana, has held many solo exhibitions and participated in collective exhibitions in countries such as the USA, Italy, Great Britain, Cyprus, France and Israel. Looking at the artist’s works, you will be fascinated by an amazing world where everything is possible. Take advantage of this to enrich your imagination, expand your horizons, and meet a rapidly growing talented artist.

The photo shows a painting by the famous contemporary Thai artist Direk Kingnock, a watercolorist originally from the town of Nakhon Ratchasima. He now lives and works in Khon Kaen city. Already at the age of 9, Direk won a gold medal at the International Children's Art Competition of Japan. He has participated in exhibitions in Vietnam, China, Turkey, Italy, Russia, South Korea, Malaysia, Greece, Albania and Thailand.

Painting by the famous contemporary Norwegian artist Christer Karlstad. He lives and works in Drammen, has held solo exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions in the USA, Sweden, and Norway.

The photo shows a painting by the famous contemporary Danish artist, Jan Esmann. The artist was born, lives and works in Denmark, participated in exhibitions in countries such as Germany, USA, Denmark.

The painting was painted by the famous contemporary Swedish artist Nisse Nidej Ottenhag. The artist, originally from the small town of Lilla Edet, has participated in many exhibitions in different countries (in the USA, France, Monaco, Namibia and Sweden).

The photo shows a painting by the famous contemporary Australian artist Elizabeth Barsham. She was born, lives and works in Tasmania and has won many awards. Her works can often be found on magazine covers or as illustrations for articles. She is also often written about in the press. The artist took part in a large number of exhibitions and organized personal exhibitions in different countries (Great Britain, Singapore, Italy, Australia).

Alexey Chernigin

Konstantin Lupanov

Stanislav Plutenko

Nikolay Blokhin

Dmitry Annenkov

Vasily Shulzhenko

Arush Votsmush

Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky

Mikhail Golubev

Sergey Marshennikov

The Art Newspaper Russia presents the rating: the most expensive living Russian artists. If you are still sure that there were no Russian artists in the Western scene, we are ready to argue with that. The language of numbers.

The conditions were simple: each living artist could be represented by only one, his most expensive work. When compiling the rating, not only the results of public auctions were taken into account, but also the most high-profile private sales. The authors of the rating were guided by the principle “if something sells loudly, then someone needs it,” and therefore appreciated the work of marketers and press managers of artists who brought record private sales to the public. Important note: the rating is based solely on financial indicators; if it were based on the exhibition activity of artists, it would look somewhat different. External sources for analytics were resources Artnet.com, Artprice.com, Skatepress.com And Artinvestment.ru.

The US dollar was chosen as the currency for the world ranking; the British pound sterling was taken as the equivalent of sales of Russian artists (since 90% of domestic sales took place in London in this currency). The remaining 10% of works sold in US dollars and euros were recalculated at the exchange rate at the time of the transaction, as a result of which some positions changed places. In addition to the actual cost of the work, data was collected on the total capitalization of artists (the number of top works sold at auction over all years), on the place of a contemporary artist in the ranking of artists of all times, on the place of the participant’s most expensive work among all works sold by other authors, and also about nationality and country of residence. Statistics on repeat sales of each artist also contain important information as an objective indicator of investment
attractiveness.

Last year, 2013, significantly changed the position of contemporary artists in the international sales rankings. Of the top 50 most expensive works of art, 16 modern works of art were sold last season - a record number (for comparison, 17 works were sold from 2010 to 2012; there was only one sale in the 20th century). The demand for living artists is partly identical to the demand for all contemporary art, partly to the cynical understanding that the capitalization of assets after their death will invariably increase.

Among the Russian participants, the brothers turned out to be the most respectable Sergey And Alexey Tkachev(b. 1922 and 1925), the youngest - Anatoly Osmolovsky(b. 1969). The question is who will be new Jean-Michel Basquiat, while open. In the sales of our artists, clear classes of buyers are visible: the leaders are bought by foreign collectors and Russian oligarchs, places from 10th to 30th are provided by emigrant collectors, and the conditional bottom of the top 50 is our future, young collectors who have entered the market with “new » money.

1. Ilya Kabakov
It seems that in general he is the main Russian artist (which does not prevent Kabakov, who was born in Dnepropetrovsk, from describing himself as Ukrainian), the founding father of Moscow conceptualism (one of), the author of the term and practice of “total installation”. Since 1988 he has lived and worked in New York. He 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 earlier than Ilya and Emilia, then let it remain so. The works are in the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Hermitage, MoMA, Kolodzei Art Foundation(USA), etc.
Year of birth: 1933
Work: "Beetle". 1982
Date of sale: 02/28/2008
Price (GBP)1: 2,932,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 10,686,000
Place: 1
Average Job Cost (GBP): 117,429
Number of repeat sales: 12

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 Foundation Dina Verni, Viktor Bondarenko, Vyacheslav Kantor, Ekaterina and Vladimir Semenikhin, Igor Tsukanov.
Year of birth: 1933
Work: “Glory to the CPSU.” 1975
Date of sale: 02/28/2008
Price (GBP)1: 1,084,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 8,802,000
Place: 2
Average job cost (GBP): 163,000
Number of repeat sales: 11

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 Breus, 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)1: 657,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 3,014,000
Place: 7
Average job cost (GBP): 75,350
Number of repeat sales: 3

former comar&melamid artstudio archive

4. Semyon Faibisovich
A photorealist artist who remains the most accurate realist even now, when Semyon Natanovich is less interested in painting than in 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, museums in Germany, Poland, the USA, and are included in the collections Daria Zhukova And Roman Abramovich, Igor Markin, Igor
Tsukanova.
Year of birth: 1949
Work: “Soldiers” (from the “Station Stations” series). 1989
Date of sale: 10/13/2007
Price (GBP)1: 311,200
Total capitalization (GBP): 3,093,000
Place: 6
Average Job Cost (GBP): 106,655
Number of repeat sales: 7

5. Grigory (Grisha) Bruskin
The main character of the first and last Soviet auction Sotheby's in 1988, where his work 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 “Project of the Year” nomination 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, Peter Aven, Shalva Breus, Vladimir and Ekaterina Semenikhin, Milos Forman.
Year of birth: 1945
Work: “Logies. Part 1". 1987
Date of sale: 07.11.2000
Price (GBP)1: 424,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 720,000
Place: 15
Average job cost (GBP): 24,828
Number of repeat sales: 5

6. Oleg Tselkov
One of the most famous artists of the sixties, in the 1960s he began and still continues a series of paintings depicting rough, as if sculpted from clay, human faces (or figures), painted with bright aniline colors. Since 1977 he has lived in Paris. The 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)1: 238,406
Total capitalization (GBP): 4,232,000
Place: 5
Average job cost (GBP): 53,570
Number of repeat sales: 14

7. Oscar Rabin
Leader of the “Lianozov group” (Moscow nonconformist artists of the 1950s-1960s), organizer of the scandalous Bulldozer exhibition 1974. He was the first in the Soviet Union to sell works privately. In 1978 he was deprived of Soviet citizenship. Lives and works in Paris. In 2006 he became a laureate of the Innovation Prize for his contribution to art. The 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 of Alexander Glezer, Vyacheslav Kantor, Alexander Kronik, Iveta and Tamaz Manasherov, Evgeniy Nutovich, Aslan Chekhoev.
Year of birth: 1928
Work: “The City and the Moon (Socialist
city)". 1959
Date of sale: 04/15/2008
Price (GBP)1: 171,939
Total capitalization (GBP): 5,397,000
Place: 3
Average job cost (GBP): 27,964
Number of repeat sales: 45

8. Zurab Tsereteli
The largest representative of already monumental art. Author of the monument to Peter I in Moscow and the monument Good conquers Evil 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. Sculptures of Zurab Tsereteli, in addition to Russia, adorn Brazil, Great Britain, Georgia, Spain, Lithuania, USA, France and Japan.
Year of birth: 1934
Work: “Dream of Athos”
Date of sale: 12/01/2009
Price (GBP)1: 151,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 498,000
Place: 19
Average job cost (GBP): 27,667
Number of repeat sales: 4

9. Viktor Pivovarov
One of the founders of Moscow conceptualism. Like Kabakov, the inventor of the concept album genre; like Kabakov, Bulatov and Oleg Vasiliev, a successful illustrator of children’s books who collaborated 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. Pushkina, Kolodzei Art Foundation(USA), in the collections of Vladimir and Ekaterina Semenikhin, Igor Tsukanov.
Year of birth: 1937
Work: “Triptych with a snake.” 2000
Date of sale: 10/18/2008
Price (GBP)1: 145,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 482,000
Place: 20
Average job cost (GBP): 17,852
Number of repeat sales: 6

10. Alexander Melamid
Half of the creative tandem Komar - Melamid, which broke up in 2003. Together with Vitaly Komar, participant Bulldozer exhibition(where they died Double self-portrait, a seminal work of Sots Art). Since 1978 he has lived and worked 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)1: 145,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 145,000
Place: 36
Average job cost (GBP): 145,000
Number of repeat sales: —

11. Francisco Infante-Arana
The owner of perhaps the most extensive 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)1: 142,400
Total capitalization (GBP): 572,000
Place: 17
Average job cost (GBP): 22,000
Number of repeat sales: —

12. Vladimir Nemukhin
Metaphysician. A classic of the second wave of Russian avant-garde, a member of the “Lianozov group”, one of the participants in the Bulldozer exhibition, curator (or initiator) of important exhibitions of the 1980s, when the unofficial Soviet
art was just becoming aware of itself.
Year of birth: 1925
Work: “Unfinished Solitaire.” 1966
Date of sale: 04/26/2006
Price (GBP)1: 240,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 4,338,000
Place: 4
Average Job Cost (GBP): 36,454
Number of repeat sales: 26

13. Vladimir Yankilevsky
Surrealist, one of the main names 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)1: 133,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 754,000
Place: 14
Average job cost (GBP): 12,780
Number of repeat sales: 7

14. Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky
Scenic project Paintings to order, which they began in the hopeless 1990s for painting, received what it deserved in the 2000s. The duet became popular with 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)1: 132,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 1,378,000
Place: 11
Average job cost (GBP): 26,500
Number of repeat sales: 4

15. Sergey Volkov
One of the heroes of perestroika art, known for his expressive paintings with thoughtful statements. Soviet auction participant Sotheby's in 1988.
Year of birth: 1956
Work: “Double Vision.
Triptych"
Date of sale: 05/31/2007
Price (GBP)1: 132,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 777,000
Place: 12
Average job cost (GBP): 38,850
Number of repeat sales: 4

16. AES + F (Tatyana Arzamasova, Lev Evzovich, Evgeniy Svyatsky, Vladimir Fridkes)
AES projects were distinguished by their good presentation in the slack 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)1: 120,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 305,000
Place: 27
Average job cost (GBP): 30,500
Number of repeat sales: —

17. 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)1: 117,650
Total capitalization (GBP): 263,000
Place: 28
Average job cost (GBP): 26,300
Number of repeat sales: 7

18. Mikhail (Misha Shaevich) Brusilovsky
Sverdlovsk surrealist, author of meaningful allegories.
Year of birth: 1931
Work: "Football". 1965
Date of sale: 11/28/2006
Price (GBP)1: 108,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 133,000
Place: 38
Average job cost (GBP): 22,167
Number of repeat sales: —

19. Olga Bulgakova
One of the main figures of the intelligentsia “carnival” painting of the Brezhnev era. Corresponding Member
Russian Academy of Arts.
Year of birth: 1951
Work: “Dream of Red
bird." 1988
Date of sale: 11/22/2010
Price (GBP)1: 100,876
Total capitalization (GBP): 219,000
Place: 31
Average job cost (GBP): 36,500
Number of repeat sales: —

20. 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
Work: "Love". 1996
Date of sale: 06/05/2013
Price (GBP)1: 97,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 201,000
Place: 33
Average Job Cost (GBP): 50,250
Number of repeat sales: —

21. Ivan Chuikov
An independent wing of Moscow pictorial conceptualism. Author of a series of paintings-objects Windows. Somehow in the 1960s he burned all the paintings, which is why gallery owners are still sad.
Year of birth: 1935
Work: "Untitled". 1986
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 96,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 1,545,000
Place: 10
Average Job Cost (GBP): 36,786
Number of repeat sales: 8

22. Konstantin Zvezdochetov
In his youth, a member of the Mukhomor group, which called themselves “the fathers of the “new wave” in the Soviet Union” -
with good reason; with the onset of creative maturity, participant of 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)1: 92,446
Total capitalization (GBP): 430,000
Place: 22
Average job cost (GBP): 22,632
Number of repeat sales: 2

23. 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)1: 92,388
Total capitalization (GBP): 1,950,000
Place: 9
Average job cost (GBP): 20,526
Number of repeat sales: 15

24. Maxim Kantor
An expressionist painter who performed in the Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 1997 - as well as a publicist and writer, author of a philosophical and satirical novel Drawing tutorial 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)1: 87,650
Total capitalization (GBP): 441,000
Place: 21
Average Job Cost (GBP): 44,100
Number of repeat sales: 2

25. Andrey Sidersky
Creates paintings in the style of psy-art he invented. Translated works of Carlos Castaneda and Richard Bach into Russian.
Year of birth: 1960
Work: “Triptych”
Date of sale: 12/04/2009
Price (GBP)1: 90,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 102,000
Place: 42
Average job cost (GBP): 51,000
Number of repeat sales: —

26. 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
Work: "Versailles". 1993
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 72,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 346,000
Place: 26
Average job cost (GBP): 21,625
Number of repeat sales: 8

27. Alexey Sundukov
Laconic, leaden-colored paintings about the “leaden abominations” of everyday Russian life.
Year of birth: 1952
Work: “The Essence of Being.” 1988
Date of sale: 04/23/2010
Price (GBP)1: 67,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 255,000
Place: 29
Average job cost (GBP): 25,500
Number of repeat sales: 1

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)1: 62,092
Total capitalization (GBP): 397,000
Place: 24
Average job cost (GBP): 15,880
Number of repeat sales: 3

29. Vadim Zakharov
Archivist of Moscow conceptualism. The author of spectacular installations on profound topics, represented Russia at the Venice
biennial
Year of birth: 1959
Work: "Baroque". 1986-1994
Date of sale: 10/18/2008
Price (GBP)1: 61,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 243,000
Place: 30
Average job cost (GBP): 20,250
Number of repeat sales: —

30. Yuri Krasny
Author of art programs for children with special needs.
Year of birth: 1925
Work: “The Smoker”
Date of sale: 04/04/2008Price (GBP)1: 59,055
Total capitalization (GBP): 89,000
Place: 44
Average job cost (GBP): 11,125
Number of repeat sales: 8

31. Sergey and Alexey Tkachev
Classics of late Soviet impressionism, students of Arkady Plastov, famous for their paintings from the life of the Russian village.
Year of birth: 1922, 1925
Work: “In the Field.” 1954
Date of sale: 01.12.2010
Price (GBP)1: 58,813
Total capitalization (GBP): 428,000
Place: 23
Average job cost (GBP): 22,526
Number of repeat sales: 4

32. Svetlana Kopystyanskaya
Known for installations of paintings. After the Moscow auction Sotheby's in 1988 he works abroad.
Year of birth: 1950
Work: “Seascape”
Date of sale: 10/13/2007
Price (GBP)1: 57,600
Total capitalization (GBP): 202,000
Place: 32
Average job cost (GBP): 22,444
Number of repeat sales: 2

33. 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)1: 55,085
Total capitalization (GBP): 174,000
Place: 34
Average job cost (GBP): 17,400
Number of repeat sales: 1

34. Vyacheslav Kalinin
The author of expressive paintings from the life of the urban lower classes and drinking bohemia.
Year of birth: 1939
Artwork: “Self-portrait with a hang glider”
Date of sale: 11/25/2012
Price (GBP)1: 54,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 766,000
Place: 13
Average job cost (GBP): 12,767
Number of repeat sales: 24

35. 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)1: 49,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 49,000
Place: 48
Average job cost (GBP): 49,000
Number of repeat sales: —

36. Yuri Cooper
He became famous for his nostalgic canvases with old household items. Author of the play Twelve paintings from the life of the 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)1: 49,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 157,000
Place: 35
Average job cost (GBP): 2,754
Number of repeat sales: 14

37. Alexander Kosolapov
A socialist artist whose work has become a target for 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)1: 48,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 510,000
Place: 18
Average job cost (GBP): 15,938
Number of repeat sales: 1

38. Leonid Sokov
A leading sculptor of Sots Art who combined folklore with politics. Among the famous works Device for determining nationality by nose shape.
Year of birth: 1941
Work: “A bear hitting a sickle with a hammer.” 1996
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 48,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 352,000
Place: 25
Average job cost (GBP): 13,538
Number of repeat sales: 7

39. Vladimir Ovchinnikov
One of the patriarchs of unofficial art in Leningrad. Orthodox version of Fernando Botero.
Year of birth: 1941
Work: “Angels and Railway Tracks.” 1977
Date of sale: 04/17/2007
Price (GBP)1: 47,846
Total capitalization (GBP): 675,000
Place: 16
Average job cost (GBP): 15,341
Number of repeat sales: —

40. Konstantin Khudyakov
Author of paintings on religious subjects. Currently working in digital art technology.
Year of birth: 1945
Work: “The Last Supper.” 2007
Date of sale: 02/18/2011
Price (GBP)1: 46,850
Total capitalization (GBP): 97,000
Place: 43
Average job cost (GBP): 32,333
Number of repeat sales: —

41. Ernst Neizvestny
An icon of Soviet nonconformism - ever since he openly objected to General Secretary Nikita Khrushchev at the vernissage of the legendary exhibition dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Moscow Union of Artists. After that, he made a monument at Khrushchev’s grave and a monument in front of the UN European headquarters.
Year of birth: 1925
Work: “Untitled”
Date of sale: 06/08/2010
Price (GBP)1: 46,850
Total capitalization (GBP): 2,931,000
Place: 8
Average job cost (GBP): 24,839
Number of repeat sales: 13

42. 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” (from the “Pagans” series). 2009
Date of sale: 04/23/2010
Price (GBP)1: 46,850
Total capitalization (GBP): 83,000
Place: 46
Average job cost (GBP): 11,857
Number of repeat sales: —

43. Dmitry Vrubel
Photorealist painter, known mainly for his painting of Brezhnev and Honecker kissing (more precisely, thanks to the author’s reproduction on the Berlin Wall).
Year of birth: 1960
Work: “Fraternal kiss (triptych).” 1990
Date of sale: 11/25/2013
Price (GBP)1: 45,000

Place: 40
Average job cost (GBP): 16,429
Number of repeat sales: 2

44. Leonid Lamm
The author of installations that combine motifs of the Russian avant-garde and scenes of Soviet prison life. Lives in America. In the 1970s, he spent three years in prisons and camps on false charges.
Year of birth: 1928
Work: “Apple II” (from the “Seventh Heaven” series). 1974-1986
Date of sale: 12/16/2009
Price (GBP)1: 43,910
Total capitalization (GBP): 115,000
Place: 41
Average job cost (GBP): 14,375
Number of repeat sales: —

Irina Nakhova’s picturesque installations of the 1980s in her apartment can claim authorship in the “total” genre.

45. Irina Nakhova
Muse of Moscow conceptualism. Winner of the 2013 Kandinsky Prize for “Project of the Year”. In 2015 at the 56th Venice Biennale
will represent Russia.
Year of birth: 1955
Work: "Triptych". 1983
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 38,900
Total capitalization (GBP): 85,000
Place: 45
Average job cost (GBP): 17,000
Number of repeat sales: 1

46. ​​Katya Filippova
Avant-garde clothing designer who became famous during perestroika. She decorated the windows of the Parisian department store Galeries Lafayette, and was friends with Pierre Cardin.
Year of birth: 1958
“Work: Marina Ladynina” (from the “Russian Hollywood” series)
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 38,900
Total capitalization (GBP): 39,000
Place: 49
Average job cost (GBP): 39,000
Number of repeat sales: —

47. 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)1: 36,356
Total capitalization (GBP): 67,000
Place: 47
Average job cost (GBP): 13,400
Number of repeat sales: 2

48. Rostislav Lebedev
Classic socialist artist, colleague (and workshop neighbor) of Boris Orlov and Dmitry Prigov. Creatively transformed visual propaganda from Soviet times.
Year of birth: 1946
Work: “Russian Fairy Tale”. 1949
Date of sale: 06/03/2008
Price (GBP)1: 34,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 122,000
Place: 39
Average job cost (GBP): 24,400
Number of repeat sales: 2

49. Andrey Filippov
Belongs to the Moscow conceptual school. The author of paintings and installations united by the theme “Moscow - the Third Rome”. Since 2009, together with Yuri Albert and Victor Skersis, he has been a member of the Cupid group.
Year of birth: 1959
Work: "Seven Feet Under the Keel." 1988
Date of sale: 05/31/2006
Price (GBP)1: 33,600
Total capitalization (GBP): 137,000
Place: 37
Average job cost (GBP): 12,455
Number of repeat sales: 3

50. Vladimir Shinkarev
The founder and ideologist of the Leningrad art group “Mitki”, in whose novel Mitki this term was first used. The novel was written out of boredom while working in the boiler room.
Year of birth: 1954
Work: “Lenin Square I”. 1999
Date of sale: 06/30/2008
Price (GBP)1: 32,450
Total capitalization (GBP): 33,000
Place: 50
Average job cost (GBP): 16,500
Number of repeat sales: —

Sales vs exhibitions

Market recognition and recognition by the professional community seem like different things to many, but the division into “commercial” and “non-commercial” artists is very arbitrary. Thus, of the Russian artists who have exhibited at the Venice Biennale of Contemporary Art over the past ten years (and this is the pinnacle of their professional career), seven (if counting by person, then 11 people) are included in our rating. And the top 10 artists from the rating either exhibited at the Venice Biennale before, or had personal exhibitions in major museums. As for those wonderful artists who were not included in the rating, their absence or not very outstanding sales can be explained simply and banally. Collectors are conservative and even from the most avant-garde creators they prefer to buy paintings (paintings, objects similar to paintings or photographs) or sculpture (or objects similar to sculpture). There are no record-breaking performances or giant installations in our rating (installations are usually bought by museums, but the prices are museum-quality, at a discount). That is why such stars as Andrey Monastyrsky, Oleg Kulik, Pavel Pepperstein(until recently I mainly did graphics, and graphics are a priori cheaper than painting) or, for example, Nikolai Polissky, whose grandiose designs have not yet found any understanding collectors.

In addition, the market is also conservative because recognition comes slowly - note that in the top 10 all artists were born in 1950 or older. That is, promising participants of the biennale still have everything ahead of them.

"Card Players"

Author

Paul Cezanne

A country France
Years of life 1839–1906
Style post-impressionism

The artist was born in the south of France in the small town of Aix-en-Provence, but began painting in Paris. Real success came to him after a personal exhibition organized by collector Ambroise Vollard. In 1886, 20 years before his departure, he moved to the outskirts of his hometown. Young artists called trips to him “a pilgrimage to Aix.”

130x97 cm
1895
price
$250 million
sold in 2012
at private auction

Cezanne's work is easy to understand. The artist’s only rule was the direct transfer of an object or plot onto the canvas, so his paintings do not cause bewilderment to the viewer. Cezanne combined in his art two main French traditions: classicism and romanticism. With the help of colorful textures, he gave the shape of objects amazing plasticity.

The series of five paintings “Card Players” was painted in 1890–1895. Their plot is the same - several people enthusiastically play poker. The works differ only in the number of players and the size of the canvas.

Four paintings are kept in museums in Europe and America (Museum d'Orsay, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Barnes Foundation and the Courtauld Institute of Art), and the fifth, until recently, was an adornment of the private collection of the Greek billionaire shipowner Georg Embirikos. Shortly before his death, in the winter of 2011, he decided to put it up for sale. Potential buyers of Cezanne’s “free” work were art dealer William Acquavella and world-famous gallery owner Larry Gagosian, who offered about $220 million for it. As a result, the painting went to the royal family of the Arab state of Qatar for 250 million. The largest art deal in the history of painting was closed in February 2012. Journalist Alexandra Pierce reported this in Vanity Fair. She found out the cost of the painting and the name of the new owner, and then the information penetrated the media around the world.

In 2010, the Arab Museum of Modern Art and the Qatar National Museum opened in Qatar. Now their collections are growing. Perhaps the fifth version of The Card Players was acquired by the sheikh for this purpose.

The mostexpensive paintingin the world

Owner
Sheikh Hamad
bin Khalifa al-Thani

The al-Thani dynasty has ruled Qatar for more than 130 years. About half a century ago, huge reserves of oil and gas were discovered here, which instantly made Qatar one of the richest regions in the world. Thanks to the export of hydrocarbons, this small country has the largest GDP per capita. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani seized power in 1995, while his father was in Switzerland, with the support of family members. The merit of the current ruler, according to experts, is in a clear strategy for the country's development and in creating a successful image of the state. Qatar now has a constitution and a prime minister, and women have the right to vote in parliamentary elections. By the way, it was the Emir of Qatar who founded the Al-Jazeera news channel. The authorities of the Arab state pay great attention to culture.

2

"Number 5"

Author

Jackson Pollock

A country USA
Years of life 1912–1956
Style abstract expressionism

Jack the Sprinkler - this was the nickname given to Pollock by the American public for his special painting technique. The artist abandoned the brush and easel, and poured paint over the surface of the canvas or fiberboard during continuous movement around and inside them. From an early age, he was interested in the philosophy of Jiddu Krishnamurti, the main message of which is that the truth is revealed during a free “outpouring.”

122x244 cm
1948
price
$140 million
sold in 2006
on the auction Sotheby's

The value of Pollock's work lies not in the result, but in the process. It is no coincidence that the author called his art “action painting.” With his light hand, it became the main asset of America. Jackson Pollock mixed paint with sand and broken glass, and painted with a piece of cardboard, a palette knife, a knife, and a dustpan. The artist was so popular that in the 1950s imitators were found even in the USSR. The painting “Number 5” is recognized as one of the strangest and most expensive in the world. One of the founders of DreamWorks, David Geffen, purchased it for a private collection, and in 2006 sold it at Sotheby's auction for $140 million to Mexican collector David Martinez. However, the law firm soon issued a press release on behalf of its client stating that David Martinez was not the owner of the painting. Only one thing is known for certain: the Mexican financier has indeed recently collected works of modern art. It is unlikely that he would have missed such a “big fish” as Pollock’s “Number 5”.

3

"Woman III"

Author

Willem de Kooning

A country USA
Years of life 1904–1997
Style abstract expressionism

A native of the Netherlands, he immigrated to the United States in 1926. In 1948, the artist’s personal exhibition took place. Art critics appreciated the complex, nervous black and white compositions, recognizing their author as a great modernist artist. He suffered from alcoholism for most of his life, but the joy of creating new art is felt in every work. De Kooning is distinguished by the impulsiveness of his painting and broad strokes, which is why sometimes the image does not fit within the boundaries of the canvas.

121x171 cm
1953
price
$137 million
sold in 2006
at private auction

In the 1950s, women with empty eyes, massive breasts, and ugly facial features appeared in de Kooning’s paintings. "Woman III" was the last work from this series to be auctioned.

Since the 1970s, the painting was kept in the Tehran Museum of Modern Art, but after the introduction of strict moral rules in the country, they tried to get rid of it. In 1994, the work was exported from Iran, and 12 years later its owner David Geffen (the same producer who sold Jackson Pollock’s “Number 5”) sold the painting to millionaire Steven Cohen for $137.5 million. It is interesting that in one year Geffen began to sell off his collection of paintings. This gave rise to a lot of rumors: for example, that the producer decided to buy the Los Angeles Times newspaper.

At one of the art forums, an opinion was expressed about the similarity of “Woman III” with the painting “Lady with an Ermine” by Leonardo da Vinci. Behind the toothy smile and shapeless figure of the heroine, the connoisseur of painting saw the grace of a person of royal blood. This is also evidenced by the poorly drawn crown crowning the woman’s head.

4

"Portrait of AdeleBloch-Bauer I"

Author

Gustav Klimt

A country Austria
Years of life 1862–1918
Style modern

Gustav Klimt was born into the family of an engraver and was the second of seven children. Ernest Klimt's three sons became artists, but only Gustav became famous throughout the world. He spent most of his childhood in poverty. After his father's death, he became responsible for the entire family. It was at this time that Klimt developed his style. Any viewer freezes in front of his paintings: frank eroticism is clearly visible under the thin strokes of gold.

138x136 cm
1907
price
$135 million
sold in 2006
on the auction Sotheby's

The fate of the painting, which is called the “Austrian Mona Lisa,” could easily become the basis for a bestseller. The artist’s work caused a conflict between an entire state and one elderly lady.

So, “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” depicts an aristocrat, the wife of Ferdinand Bloch. Her last wish was to donate the painting to the Austrian State Gallery. However, Bloch canceled the donation in his will, and the Nazis expropriated the painting. Later, the gallery with difficulty bought the Golden Adele, but then an heiress appeared - Maria Altman, the niece of Ferdinand Bloch.

In 2005, the high-profile trial “Maria Altmann against the Republic of Austria” began, as a result of which the film “left” with her for Los Angeles. Austria took unprecedented measures: negotiations were held on loans, the population donated money to buy the portrait. Good never defeated evil: Altman raised the price to $300 million. At the time of the proceedings, she was 79 years old, and she went down in history as the person who changed Bloch-Bauer’s will in favor of personal interests. The painting was purchased by Ronald Lauder, owner of the New Gallery in New York, where it remains to this day. Not for Austria, for him Altman reduced the price to $135 million.

5

"Scream"

Author

Edvard Munch

A country Norway
Years of life 1863–1944
Style expressionism

Munch’s first painting, which became famous throughout the world, “The Sick Girl” (there are five copies) is dedicated to the artist’s sister, who died of tuberculosis at the age of 15. Munch was always interested in the theme of death and loneliness. In Germany, his heavy, manic painting even provoked a scandal. However, despite the depressive subjects, his paintings have a special magnetism. Take "Scream" for example.

73.5x91 cm
1895
price
$119.992 million
sold in 2012
on the auction Sotheby's

The full title of the painting is Der Schrei der Natur (translated from German as “the cry of nature”). The face of either a human or an alien expresses despair and panic - the same emotions the viewer experiences when looking at the picture. One of the key works of expressionism warns of themes that have become acute in the art of the 20th century. According to one version, the artist created it under the influence of a mental disorder that he suffered from all his life.

The painting was stolen twice from different museums, but was returned. Slightly damaged after the theft, The Scream was restored and was again ready for display at the Munch Museum in 2008. For representatives of pop culture, the work became a source of inspiration: Andy Warhol created a series of print copies of it, and the mask from the film “Scream” was made in the image and likeness of the hero of the picture.

Munch wrote four versions of the work for one subject: the one that is in a private collection is made in pastels. Norwegian billionaire Petter Olsen put it up for auction on May 2, 2012. The buyer was Leon Black, who did not spare a record amount for “Scream”. Founder of Apollo Advisors, L.P. and Lion Advisors, L.P. known for his love of art. Black is a patron of Dartmouth College, the Museum of Modern Art, the Lincoln Art Center, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It has the largest collection of paintings by contemporary artists and classical masters of past centuries.

6

"Nude against the background of a bust and green leaves"

Author

Pablo Picasso

A country Spain, France
Years of life 1881–1973
Style cubism

He is Spanish by origin, but by spirit and place of residence he is a true Frenchman. Picasso opened his own art studio in Barcelona when he was only 16 years old. Then he went to Paris and spent most of his life there. That is why his surname has a double accent. The style invented by Picasso is based on the denial of the idea that an object depicted on canvas can only be viewed from one angle.

130x162 cm
1932
price
$106.482 million
sold in 2010
on the auction Christie's

During his work in Rome, the artist met dancer Olga Khokhlova, who soon became his wife. He put an end to vagrancy and moved into a luxurious apartment with her. By that time, recognition had found the hero, but the marriage was destroyed. One of the most expensive paintings in the world was created almost by accident - out of great love, which, as always with Picasso, was short-lived. In 1927, he became interested in the young Marie-Therese Walter (she was 17 years old, he was 45). Secretly from his wife, he left with his mistress to a town near Paris, where he painted a portrait, depicting Marie-Therese in the image of Daphne. The canvas was purchased by New York dealer Paul Rosenberg, and in 1951 he sold it to Sidney F. Brody. The Brodys showed the painting to the world only once and only because the artist was turning 80 years old. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Brody put the work up for auction at Christie’s in March 2010. Over six decades, the price has increased more than 5,000 times! An unknown collector bought it for $106.5 million. In 2011, an “exhibition of one painting” took place in Britain, where it was released for the second time, but the name of the owner is still unknown.

7

"Eight Elvises"

Author

Andy Warhole

A country USA
Years of life 1928-1987
Style
pop Art

“Sex and parties are the only places where you need to appear in person,” said the cult pop art artist, director, one of the founders of Interview magazine, designer Andy Warhol. He worked with Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, designed record covers, and designed shoes for the I.Miller company. In the 1960s, paintings appeared depicting symbols of America: Campbell's and Coca-Cola soup, Presley and Monroe - which made him a legend.

358x208 cm
1963
price
$100 million
sold in 2008
at private auction

The Warhol 60s was the name given to the era of pop art in America. In 1962, he worked in Manhattan at the Factory studio, where all the bohemians of New York gathered. Its prominent representatives: Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Truman Capote and other famous personalities in the world. At the same time, Warhol tested the technique of silk-screen printing - repeated repetition of one image. He also used this method when creating “The Eight Elvises”: the viewer seems to be seeing footage from a movie where the star comes to life. Here there is everything that the artist loved so much: a win-win public image, silver color and a premonition of death as the main message.

There are two art dealers promoting Warhol's work on the world market today: Larry Gagosian and Alberto Mugrabi. The former spent $200 million in 2008 to acquire more than 15 works by Warhol. The second one buys and sells his paintings like Christmas cards, only at a higher price. But it was not they, but the modest French art consultant Philippe Segalot who helped the Roman art connoisseur Annibale Berlinghieri sell “Eight Elvises” to an unknown buyer for a record amount for Warhol – $100 million.

8

"Orange,Red Yellow"

Author

Mark Rothko

A country USA
Years of life 1903–1970
Style abstract expressionism

One of the creators of color field painting was born in Dvinsk, Russia (now Daugavpils, Latvia), into a large family of a Jewish pharmacist. In 1911 they emigrated to the USA. Rothko studied at the Yale University art department and won a scholarship, but anti-Semitic sentiments forced him to leave his studies. Despite everything, art critics idolized the artist, and museums pursued him all his life.

206x236 cm
1961
price
$86.882 million
sold in 2012
on the auction Christie's

Rothko's first artistic experiments were of a surrealist orientation, but over time he simplified the plot to color spots, depriving them of any objectivity. At first they had bright shades, and in the 1960s they became brown and purple, thickening to black by the time of the artist’s death. Mark Rothko warned against looking for any meaning in his paintings. The author wanted to say exactly what he said: only color dissolving in the air, and nothing more. He recommended viewing the works from a distance of 45 cm, so that the viewer would be “drawn” into the color, like into a funnel. Be careful: viewing according to all the rules can lead to the effect of meditation, that is, the awareness of infinity, complete immersion in oneself, relaxation, and purification gradually come. The color in his paintings lives, breathes and has a strong emotional impact (they say, sometimes healing). The artist declared: “The viewer should cry while looking at them,” and such cases actually happened. According to Rothko's theory, at this moment people live the same spiritual experience as he did while working on the painting. If you were able to understand it on such a subtle level, you will not be surprised that these works of abstract art are often compared by critics to icons.

The work “Orange, Red, Yellow” expresses the essence of Mark Rothko’s painting. Its initial price at Christie’s auction in New York is $35–45 million. An unknown buyer offered a price twice the estimate. The name of the lucky owner of the painting, as often happens, is not disclosed.

9

"Triptych"

Author

Francis Bacon

A country
Great Britain
Years of life 1909–1992
Style expressionism

The adventures of Francis Bacon, a complete namesake and also a distant descendant of the great philosopher, began when his father disowned him, unable to accept his son’s homosexual inclinations. Bacon went first to Berlin, then to Paris, and then his tracks became confused throughout Europe. During his lifetime, his works were exhibited in leading cultural centers of the world, including the Guggenheim Museum and the Tretyakov Gallery.

147.5x198 cm (each)
1976
price
$86.2 million
sold in 2008
on the auction Sotheby's

Prestigious museums sought to possess Bacon's paintings, but the prim English public was in no hurry to fork out for such art. The legendary British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said about him: “The man who paints these terrifying pictures.”

The artist himself considered the post-war period to be the starting period in his work. Returning from service, he took up painting again and created major masterpieces. Before the participation of “Triptych, 1976,” Bacon’s most expensive work was “Study for a Portrait of Pope Innocent X” ($52.7 million). In “Triptych, 1976” the artist depicted the mythical plot of the persecution of Orestes by the Furies. Of course, Orestes is Bacon himself, and the Furies are his torment. For more than 30 years, the painting was in a private collection and did not participate in exhibitions. This fact gives it special value and, accordingly, increases the cost. But what is a few million for an art connoisseur, and a generous one at that? Roman Abramovich began creating his collection in the 1990s, in which he was significantly influenced by his friend Dasha Zhukova, who became a fashionable gallery owner in modern Russia. According to unofficial data, the businessman personally owns works by Alberto Giacometti and Pablo Picasso, purchased for amounts exceeding $100 million. In 2008 he became the owner of the Triptych. By the way, in 2011, another valuable work by Bacon was acquired - “Three Sketches for a Portrait of Lucian Freud.” Hidden sources say that Roman Arkadyevich again became the buyer.

10

"Pond with water lilies"

Author

Claude Monet

A country France
Years of life 1840–1926
Style impressionism

The artist is recognized as the founder of impressionism, who “patented” this method in his paintings. The first significant work was the painting “Luncheon on the Grass” (the original version of the work by Edouard Manet). In his youth he drew caricatures, and took up real painting during his travels along the coast and in the open air. In Paris he led a bohemian lifestyle and did not leave it even after serving in the army.

210x100 cm
1919
price
$80.5 million
sold in 2008
on the auction Christie's

In addition to the fact that Monet was a great artist, he was also a keen gardener and adored wildlife and flowers. In his landscapes, the state of nature is momentary, objects seem to be blurred by the movement of air. The impression is enhanced by large strokes; from a certain distance they become invisible and merge into a textured, three-dimensional image. In the paintings of late Monet, the theme of water and life in it occupies a special place. In the town of Giverny, the artist had his own pond, where he grew water lilies from seeds he specially brought from Japan. When their flowers bloomed, he began to draw. The “Water Lilies” series consists of 60 works that the artist painted over almost 30 years, until his death. His vision deteriorated with age, but he did not stop. Depending on the wind, time of year and weather, the appearance of the pond was constantly changing, and Monet wanted to capture these changes. Through careful work, he came to understand the essence of nature. Some of the paintings in the series are kept in leading galleries in the world: the National Museum of Western Art (Tokyo), the Orangerie (Paris). A version of the next “Pond with Water Lilies” went into the hands of an unknown buyer for a record amount.

11

False Star t

Author

Jasper Johns

A country USA
Year of birth 1930
Style pop Art

In 1949, Jones entered design school in New York. Along with Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and others, he is recognized as one of the main artists of the 20th century. In 2012, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.

137.2x170.8 cm
1959
price
$80 million
sold in 2006
at private auction

Like Marcel Duchamp, Jones worked with real objects, depicting them on canvas and in sculpture in full accordance with the original. For his works, he used simple and understandable objects: a beer bottle, a flag or cards. There is no clear composition in the film False Start. The artist seems to be playing with the viewer, often “wrongly” labeling the colors in the painting, inverting the very concept of color: “I wanted to find a way to depict color so that it could be determined by some other method.” His most explosive and “unconfident” painting, according to critics, was acquired by an unknown buyer.

12

"Seatednudeon the couch"

Author

Amedeo Modigliani

A country Italy, France
Years of life 1884–1920
Style expressionism

Modigliani was often ill since childhood; during a feverish delirium, he recognized his destiny as an artist. He studied drawing in Livorno, Florence, Venice, and in 1906 he went to Paris, where his art flourished.

65x100 cm
1917
price
$68.962 million
sold in 2010
on the auction Sotheby's

In 1917, Modigliani met 19-year-old Jeanne Hebuterne, who became his model and then his wife. In 2004, one of her portraits sold for $31.3 million, the last record before the sale of “Nude Seated on a Sofa” in 2010. The painting was purchased by an unknown buyer for the maximum price for Modigliani at the moment. Active sales of works began only after the artist’s death. He died in poverty, sick with tuberculosis, and the next day Jeanne Hebuterne, who was nine months pregnant, also committed suicide.

13

"Eagle on a Pine"

Author

Qi Baishi

A country China
Years of life 1864–1957
Style Guohua

Interest in calligraphy led Qi Baishi to painting. At the age of 28, he became a student of the artist Hu Qingyuan. The Chinese Ministry of Culture awarded him the title of "Great Artist of the Chinese People", and in 1956 he received the International Peace Prize.

10x26 cm
1946
price
$65.4 million
sold in 2011
on the auction China Guardian

Qi Baishi was interested in those manifestations of the surrounding world that many do not attach importance to, and this is his greatness. A man without education became a professor and an outstanding creator in history. Pablo Picasso said about him: “I am afraid to go to your country, because there is Qi Baishi in China.” The composition “Eagle on a Pine Tree” is recognized as the artist’s largest work. In addition to the canvas, it includes two hieroglyphic scrolls. For China, the amount for which the work was purchased represents a record - 425.5 million yuan. The scroll of the ancient calligrapher Huang Tingjian alone was sold for 436.8 million.

14

"1949-A-No. 1"

Author

Clyfford Still

A country USA
Years of life 1904–1980
Style abstract expressionism

At the age of 20, I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and was disappointed. Later he signed up for a course at the Student Arts League, but left 45 minutes after the start of the class - it turned out to be “not for him.” The first personal exhibition caused a resonance, the artist found himself, and with it recognition

79x93 cm
1949
price
$61.7 million
sold in 2011
on the auction Sotheby's

Still bequeathed all his works, more than 800 canvases and 1,600 works on paper, to an American city where a museum named after him will be opened. Denver became such a city, but construction alone was expensive for the authorities, and to complete it, four works were put up for auction. Still's works are unlikely to be auctioned again, which has increased their price in advance. The painting “1949-A-No.1” was sold for a record amount for the artist, although experts predicted the sale for a maximum of 25–35 million dollars.

15

"Suprematist composition"

Author

Kazimir Malevich

A country Russia
Years of life 1878–1935
Style Suprematism

Malevich studied painting at the Kyiv Art School, then at the Moscow Academy of Arts. In 1913, he began to paint abstract geometric paintings in a style he called Suprematism (from the Latin for “dominance”).

71x 88.5 cm
1916
price
$60 million
sold in 2008
on the auction Sotheby's

The painting was kept in the Amsterdam City Museum for about 50 years, but after a 17-year dispute with Malevich's relatives, the museum gave it away. The artist painted this work in the same year as the “Manifesto of Suprematism,” so Sotheby’s announced even before the auction that it would not go into a private collection for less than $60 million. And so it happened. It is better to look at it from above: the figures on the canvas resemble an aerial view of the earth. By the way, a few years earlier, the same relatives expropriated another “Suprematist Composition” from the MoMA Museum in order to sell it at the Phillips auction for $17 million.

16

"Bathers"

Author

Paul Gauguin

A country France
Years of life 1848–1903
Style post-impressionism

Until the age of seven, the artist lived in Peru, then returned to France with his family, but his childhood memories constantly pushed him to travel. In France, he began to paint and became friends with Van Gogh. He even spent several months with him in Arles, until Van Gogh cut off his ear during a quarrel.

93.4x60.4 cm
1902
price
$55 million
sold in 2005
on the auction Sotheby's

In 1891, Gauguin organized a sale of his paintings in order to use the proceeds to travel deep into the island of Tahiti. There he created works in which a subtle connection between nature and man is felt. Gauguin lived in a thatched hut, and a tropical paradise blossomed on his canvases. His wife was 13-year-old Tahitian Tehura, which did not stop the artist from engaging in promiscuous relationships. Having contracted syphilis, he left for France. However, it was crowded for Gauguin there, and he returned to Tahiti. This period is called the “second Tahitian” - it was then that the painting “Bathers” was painted, one of the most luxurious in his work.

17

"Daffodils and tablecloth in blue and pink tones"

Author

Henri Matisse

A country France
Years of life 1869–1954
Style Fauvism

In 1889, Henri Matisse suffered an attack of appendicitis. When he was recovering from surgery, his mother bought him paints. At first, Matisse copied color postcards out of boredom, then he copied works of great painters that he saw in the Louvre, and at the beginning of the 20th century he came up with a style - Fauvism.

65.2x81 cm
1911
price
$46.4 million
sold in 2009
on the auction Christie's

The painting “Daffodils and Tablecloth in Blue and Pink” belonged to Yves Saint Laurent for a long time. After the death of the couturier, his entire art collection passed into the hands of his friend and lover Pierre Berger, who decided to put it up for auction at Christie’s. The pearl of the sold collection was the painting “Daffodils and a tablecloth in blue and pink tones,” painted on an ordinary tablecloth instead of canvas. As an example of Fauvism, it is filled with the energy of color, the colors seem to explode and scream. From the famous series of paintings painted on tablecloths, today this work is the only one that is in a private collection.

18

"Sleeping Girl"

Author

RoyLee

htenstein

A country USA
Years of life 1923–1997
Style pop Art

The artist was born in New York, and after graduating from school, he went to Ohio, where he took art courses. In 1949, Lichtenstein received a Master of Fine Arts degree. His interest in comics and his ability to use irony made him a cult artist of the last century.

91x91 cm
1964
price
$44.882 million
sold in 2012
on the auction Sotheby's

One day, chewing gum fell into Lichtenstein's hands. He redrew the picture from the insert onto canvas and became famous. This story from his biography contains the entire message of pop art: consumption is the new god, and there is no less beauty in a chewing gum wrapper than in the Mona Lisa. His paintings are reminiscent of comics and cartoons: Lichtenstein simply enlarged the finished image, drew rasters, used screen printing and silk-screen printing. The painting “Sleeping Girl” belonged to collectors Beatrice and Philip Gersh for almost 50 years, whose heirs sold it at auction.

19

"Victory. Boogie Woogie"

Author

Piet Mondrian

A country Netherlands
Years of life 1872–1944
Style neoplasticism

The artist changed his real name, Cornelis, to Mondrian when he moved to Paris in 1912. Together with the artist Theo van Doesburg, he founded the Neoplasticism movement. The Piet programming language is named after Mondrian.

27x127 cm
1944
price
$40 million
sold in 1998
on the auction Sotheby's

The most “musical” of the 20th century artists made a living from watercolor still lifes, although he became famous as a neoplastic artist. He moved to the USA in the 1940s and spent the rest of his life there. Jazz and New York are what inspired him the most! Painting “Victory. Boogie-Woogie" is the best example of this. The signature neat squares were achieved using adhesive tape, Mondrian’s favorite material. In America he was called “the most famous immigrant.” In the sixties, Yves Saint Laurent released world-famous “Mondrian” dresses with large checkered prints.

20

"Composition No. 5"

Author

BasilKandinsky

A country Russia
Years of life 1866–1944
Style avant-garde

The artist was born in Moscow, and his father was from Siberia. After the revolution, he tried to cooperate with the Soviet government, but soon realized that the laws of the proletariat were not created for him, and not without difficulties he emigrated to Germany.

275x190 cm
1911
price
$40 million
sold in 2007
on the auction Sotheby's

Kandinsky was one of the first to completely abandon object painting, for which he received the title of genius. During Nazism in Germany, his paintings were classified as “degenerate art” and were not exhibited anywhere. In 1939, Kandinsky took French citizenship, and in Paris he freely participated in the artistic process. His paintings “sound” like fugues, which is why many are called “compositions” (the first was written in 1910, the last in 1939). “Composition No. 5” is one of the key works in this genre: “The word “composition” sounded like a prayer to me,” said the artist. Unlike many of his followers, he planned what he would depict on a huge canvas, as if he were writing notes.

21

"Study of a Woman in Blue"

Author

Fernand Léger

A country France
Years of life 1881–1955
Style cubism-post-impressionism

Léger received an architectural education and then attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. The artist considered himself a follower of Cezanne, was an apologist for Cubism, and in the 20th century was also successful as a sculptor.

96.5x129.5 cm
1912–1913
price
$39.2 million
sold in 2008
on the auction Sotheby's

David Norman, president of the international department of impressionism and modernism at Sotheby's, considers the huge amount paid for “The Lady in Blue” to be completely justified. The painting belongs to the famous Léger collection (the artist painted three paintings on the same subject, the last of them is in private hands today. - Ed.), and the surface of the canvas has been preserved in its original form. The author himself gave this work to the Der Sturm gallery, then it ended up in the collection of Hermann Lang, a German collector of modernism, and now belongs to an unknown buyer.

22

“Street scene. Berlin"

Author

Ernst LudwigKirchner

A country Germany
Years of life 1880–1938
Style expressionism

For German expressionism, Kirchner became an iconic person. However, local authorities accused him of adhering to “degenerate art,” which tragically affected the fate of his paintings and the life of the artist, who committed suicide in 1938.

95x121 cm
1913
price
$38.096 million
sold in 2006
on the auction Christie's

After moving to Berlin, Kirchner created 11 sketches of street scenes. He was inspired by the bustle and nervousness of the big city. In the painting, sold in 2006 in New York, the artist’s anxious state is especially acutely felt: people on a Berlin street resemble birds - graceful and dangerous. It was the last work from the famous series sold at auction; the rest are kept in museums. In 1937, the Nazis treated Kirchner harshly: 639 of his works were removed from German galleries, destroyed or sold abroad. The artist could not survive this.

23

"Vacationist"dancer"

Author

Edgar Degas

A country France
Years of life 1834–1917
Style impressionism

Degas's history as an artist began with his work as a copyist at the Louvre. He dreamed of becoming “famous and unknown,” and in the end he succeeded. At the end of his life, deaf and blind, 80-year-old Degas continued to attend exhibitions and auctions.

64x59 cm
1879
price
$37.043 million
sold in 2008
on the auction Sotheby's

“Ballerinas have always been for me just an excuse to depict fabrics and capture movement,” said Degas. Scenes from the lives of the dancers seem to have been spied on: the girls do not pose for the artist, but simply become part of the atmosphere caught by Degas’s gaze. “Resting Dancer” was sold for $28 million in 1999, and less than 10 years later it was bought for $37 million—today it is the most expensive work by the artist ever put up for auction. Degas paid great attention to frames, designed them himself and forbade them to be changed. I wonder what frame is installed on the painting sold?

24

"Painting"

Author

Joan Miro

A country Spain
Years of life 1893–1983
Style abstract art

During the Spanish Civil War, the artist was on the Republican side. In 1937, he fled from the fascist regime to Paris, where he lived in poverty with his family. During this period, Miro painted the painting “Help Spain!”, drawing the attention of the whole world to the dominance of fascism.

89x115 cm
1927
price
$36.824 million
sold in 2012
on the auction Sotheby's

The second title of the painting is “Blue Star”. The artist painted it in the same year when he announced: “I want to kill painting” and mercilessly mocked the canvases, scratching the paint with nails, gluing feathers to the canvas, covering the works with garbage. His goal was to debunk the myths about the mystery of painting, but having coped with this, Miro created his own myth - surreal abstraction. His “Painting” belongs to the cycle of “dream paintings”. At the auction, four buyers fought for it, but one incognito phone call resolved the dispute, and “Painting” became the artist’s most expensive painting.

25

"Blue Rose"

Author

Yves Klein

A country France
Years of life 1928–1962
Style monochrome painting

The artist was born into a family of painters, but studied oriental languages, navigation, the craft of a frame gilder, Zen Buddhism and much more. His personality and cheeky antics were many times more interesting than monochrome paintings.

153x199x16 cm
1960
price
$36.779 million
sold in 2012
at Christie's auction

The first exhibition of monochromatic yellow, orange, and pink works did not arouse public interest. Klein was offended and next time presented 11 identical canvases, painted with ultramarine mixed with a special synthetic resin. He even patented this method. The color went down in history as “international Klein blue.” The artist also sold emptiness, created paintings by exposing paper to the rain, setting fire to cardboard, making prints of a person’s body on canvas. In a word, I experimented as best I could. To create “Blue Rose” I used dry pigments, resins, pebbles and a natural sponge.

26

"In Search of Moses"

Author

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

A country Great Britain
Years of life 1836–1912
Style neoclassicism

Sir Lawrence himself added the prefix “alma” to his surname so that he could be listed first in art catalogues. In Victorian England, his paintings were so in demand that the artist was awarded a knighthood.

213.4x136.7 cm
1902
price
$35.922 million
sold in 2011
on the auction Sotheby's

The main theme of Alma-Tadema's work was antiquity. In his paintings, he tried to depict the era of the Roman Empire in the smallest detail, for this he even carried out archaeological excavations on the Apennine Peninsula, and in his London house he reproduced the historical interior of those years. Mythological subjects became another source of inspiration for him. The artist was extremely in demand during his lifetime, but after his death he was quickly forgotten. Now interest is being revived, as evidenced by the cost of the painting “In Search of Moses,” which is seven times higher than the pre-sale estimate.

27

"Portrait of a sleeping naked official"

Author

Lucian Freud

A country Germany,
Great Britain
Years of life 1922–2011
Style figurative painting

The artist is the grandson of Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis. After the establishment of fascism in Germany, his family emigrated to Great Britain. Freud's works are in the Wallace Collection Museum in London, where no contemporary artist has previously exhibited.

219.1x151.4 cm
1995
price
$33.6 million
sold in 2008
on the auction Christie's

While fashionable artists of the 20th century created positive “color spots on the wall” and sold them for millions, Freud painted extremely naturalistic paintings and sold them for even more. “I capture the cries of the soul and the suffering of fading flesh,” he said. Critics believe that all this is the “legacy” of Sigmund Freud. The paintings were so actively exhibited and sold successfully that experts began to doubt: do they have hypnotic properties? The Portrait of a Nude Sleeping Official, sold at auction, according to the Sun, was purchased by a connoisseur of beauty and billionaire Roman Abramovich.

28

"Violin and Guitar"

Author

Xone Gris

A country Spain
Years of life 1887–1927
Style cubism

Born in Madrid, where he graduated from the School of Arts and Crafts. In 1906 he moved to Paris and entered the circle of the most influential artists of the era: Picasso, Modigliani, Braque, Matisse, Léger, and also worked with Sergei Diaghilev and his troupe.

5x100 cm
1913
price
$28.642 million
sold in 2010
on the auction Christie's

Gris, in his own words, was engaged in “planar, colored architecture.” His paintings are precisely thought out: he did not leave a single random stroke, which makes creativity similar to geometry. The artist created his own version of cubism, although he greatly respected Pablo Picasso, the founding father of the movement. The successor even dedicated his first work in the cubist style, “Tribute to Picasso,” to him. The painting “Violin and Guitar” is recognized as outstanding in the artist’s work. During his lifetime, Gris was famous and favored by critics and art critics. His works are exhibited in the world's largest museums and are kept in private collections.

29

"PortraitFields of Eluard"

Author

Salvador Dali

A country Spain
Years of life 1904–1989
Style surrealism

“Surrealism is me,” Dali said when he was expelled from the surrealist group. Over time, he became the most famous surrealist artist. Dali's work is everywhere, not just in galleries. For example, it was he who came up with the packaging for Chupa Chups.

25x33 cm
1929
price
$20.6 million
sold in 2011
on the auction Sotheby's

In 1929, the poet Paul Eluard and his Russian wife Gala came to visit the great provocateur and brawler Dali. The meeting was the beginning of a love story that lasted more than half a century. The painting “Portrait of Paul Eluard” was painted during this historic visit. “I felt that I was entrusted with the responsibility of capturing the face of the poet, from whose Olympus I stole one of the muses,” said the artist. Before meeting Gala, he was a virgin and was disgusted at the thought of sex with a woman. The love triangle existed until Eluard's death, after which it became the Dali-Gala duet.

30

"Anniversary"

Author

Marc Chagall

A country Russia, France
Years of life 1887–1985
Style avant-garde

Moishe Segal was born in Vitebsk, but in 1910 he emigrated to Paris, changed his name, and became close to the leading avant-garde artists of the era. In the 1930s, during the seizure of power by the Nazis, he left for the United States with the help of the American consul. He returned to France only in 1948.

80x103 cm
1923
price
$14.85 million
sold 1990
at Sotheby's auction

The painting “Anniversary” is recognized as one of the artist’s best works. It contains all the features of his work: the physical laws of the world are erased, the feeling of a fairy tale is preserved in the scenery of bourgeois life, and love is at the center of the plot. Chagall did not draw people from life, but only from memory or imagination. The painting “Anniversary” depicts the artist himself and his wife Bela. The painting was sold in 1990 and has not been auctioned since then. Interestingly, the New York Museum of Modern Art MoMA houses exactly the same one, only under the name “Birthday”. By the way, it was written earlier - in 1915.

prepared the project
Tatiana Palasova
the rating has been compiled
according to the list www.art-spb.ru
tmn magazine No. 13 (May-June 2013)