Les Oeuvres d’art les plus chères du monde

by | Dec 31, 2015

 Since the sale of Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh, auctioned by Christie’s for the record sum of $39.9 million on March 30, 1987, interest in the art market has become a true social phenomenon. Today, price records reflect shifting relationships with art. From Giacometti’s Walking Man (1960)—a monumental sculpture sold for an astounding $92,621,600—to Damien Hirst’s Golden Calf (a calf with bull’s horns and horse hooves, gilded in gold) that fetched $16 million, and the previously obscure Massacre of the Innocents by Rubens, which lay dormant in a private collection before being auctioned in London for £45 million in 2002—far surpassing its initial estimate of £4 to £6 million—such sales have continually sparked astonishment and media frenzy over the past two decades. Old Masters, Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Modern, Contemporary works, as well as photographs, installations, and sculptures—150 exceptional pieces, each commanding record-breaking sums, are cataloged here according to category, period, or technique, offering a glimpse into the value that today’s society places on art. And behind each artwork, a story—one that is embedded in the grand history of art, but also in the micro-history of the market, reflecting the spirit of our time.

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