Paintings

Painting is arguably the most saleable form of art. It is also among the oldest of mediums, dating back more than 31,000 years to prehistoric cave paintings. In the West, painting did not surpass tapestry in importance until the 18th century, though many masterworks date to the Renaissance or earlier. Painting later went out of fashion from the 1970s through the 1990s as a mode of expression for contemporary artists.

In the new millennium, painting has recovered its popularity, and the practice has remained fairly unchanged. Paints remain a mixture of colored pigment and binder, and common subject matters still comprise imagery or inspiration from the objects or events in artists’ daily lives. The contemporary painter’s palette consists not only of colors, but the range of historic painting styles.

Recent ballooning fine art sales figures reflect a long-recorded trend that closely ties paintings sales to the boom (and bust) of the economy. 

Notable paintings sold at auction include:

• Paul Gauguin’s “Nafea faa ipoipo? (When will you marry?)” of 1892 was bought for $300 million during a private sale in 2015
• Just three months later, Christie’s announced the sale of “Les Femmes d'Alger (Women of Algiers)” by Pablo Picasso of 1955 for $179.4 million – the highest priced painting ever sold at auction at the time
• Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci sold for $450.3 million on November 15, 2017 at Christie’s

See more about the Most Expensive Paintings Ever Sold on the Invaluable blog.