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The most absurd paintings sold for millions of dollars. The most absurd paintings sold for millions of dollars

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contemporary art for last years significantly increased in price: today the most expensive paintings in the world are paintings by the classics of abstract painting, artists Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, purchased for $145 million and $140 million, respectively.

no. 5 Jackson Pollock $140.0 million (Sotheby's)

The painting of the famous American abstract artist Jackson Pollock sold for $140 million - this news was spread by The New York Times. The canvas "Number 5" became not only the most expensive painting in the world, but also the first work post-war art who took this place. Jackson Pollock became famous as the inventor of "action painting" (action painting), which also corresponded to his bohemian lifestyle. A few years ago, in Hollywood, his biography was filmed, which in terms of drama is not much inferior to Van Gogh's biography. Jackson Pollock poured and splattered paint on the canvas, counting the spontaneous creative process more important than the result. "Number 5", a non-objective painting measuring 1.5 x 2.5 m, painted on fiberboard in 1948, is a classic example of this method. The canvas is evenly covered with brown and yellow drops, in which, like in Rorschach dough blots, everyone can see what they want.

Woman III Willem de Kooning $137.5 million

This work is part of a series of paintings by the abstract artist Willem de Kooning in a semi-realistic style. Created in 1953, the painting is currently the only work from this series, which is in private collection. Since the 1970s, the painting has been the property of the Tehran Museum. contemporary art, and in 1994 was sold into private hands and taken out of the country. In 2006, owner David Geffen sold Woman III to American billionaire Stephen Cohen.

Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I Gustav Klimt $135.0

Also known as "Golden Adele" or "Austrian Mona Lisa". The painting is considered one of Klimt's most significant paintings. In 1903, during a trip to Italy, the artist was inspired by the richly decorated church mosaics in Ravenna and Venice, ancient language which he transferred to modern forms visual arts. He experimented with various painting techniques in order to give the surface of his work a new look. In addition to oil painting he used the technique of relief and gilding.

Modern artists are divided into two types, those who draw well and those who draw incomprehensibly. The most interesting thing is that the first category, as a rule, is rarely recognized during his lifetime, but the second, on the contrary, is already earning millions on his masterpieces, which are little understood by anyone. We offer you a selection of the most expensive works of contemporary art.

"Spatial concept" Lucho Fountain — $1,500,000

"Untitled" Mark Rothko - $28,000,000

The Blue Fool Christopher Wool - $5,000,000

"White Fire I" Barnett Newman - $3,800,000

"Untitled" Cy Twombly - $2,300,000

Canvas "Untitled" or "Stofbild" Blink Palermo - $ 1,700,000

INCREDIBLE FACTS.

Not any of us will be able to appreciate this kind of painting at its true worth and read between the lines the meaning laid down by the author. But, nevertheless, the cost of paintings contemporary artists sometimes just going wild and collectors and connoisseurs of art from all over the world come to the auction to buy the creation they like.

Sometimes for a picture they like, they lay out such sums of money that even the authors themselves remain extremely surprised.

Below is a list of the strangest contemporary paintings that were sold for millions of dollars.

1. "Spatial concept" - Lucio Fontana (Lucio Fontana)

Sold for $1,500,000.

This painting was sold for fabulous money at an auction in London. It seems as if the author simply painted over the canvas with color and "torn" the picture with oblique lines. The question arises, of course, for a million: if the artist wants to get more for a similar picture more money, should he just make another cut?

Or maybe the more the cut features mow, the higher the quality of the picture?

2. "Blood Red Mirror" - Gerhard Richter

Sold for $1,100,000.

"Picture - mirror" went under the hammer for 1.1 million. Of course, this artist is the author of many beautiful works, however, to understand this one, apparently, you just need to be born an artist.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to see in this masterpiece something like a mirror. Perhaps the collector who purchased it just wanted to see himself in more light when looking in the mirror.

The most expensive paintings

3. "Green and white" - Ellsworth Kelly (Ellsworth Kelly)

Sold for $1,600,000.

The works of this artist are very controversial, critics differ in their opinions about their value, but, of course, this picture is the most that neither is real gem.

This is the most common canvas with a deformed circle in the middle, and there are people who are willing to pay for the right to add this creation to their collection as much as a small Thai island costs.

4. "Untitled" - Mark Rothko (Mark Rothko)

Sold for $28,000,000.

Many spoke impartially about this picture, but it is rather simply boring. If your child after graduation art school If I brought you such a picture, then there would be two possible scenarios for the development of events:

a) you would be terribly proud and hang a picture instead of a TV

b) would say to him: " Good job, Baby. Just let's draw something different next time!"

5. "Untitled" - Blinky Palermo (Blinky Palermo)

Sold for $1,700,000.

This picture, like many other creations of this artist, is a layering of colored canvases on top of each other. One of the critics noted that he peered at this picture for an hour, but could not find anything in it.

Another critic put it more deeply: "The paintings of Palermo offer the viewer's eye to see multifaceted changes in tones, while traces of painterly nuances and excesses on the surface of the canvases are completely absent, instead a person can see beautiful, undiluted colors."

You have to be a real professional in your field to mask the lack of color solutions in this way!

strange pictures

6. "Dog" - Joan Mira (Joan Mira)

Sold for $2,200,000.

In fact, Mir has a lot of good works, but this one really stands out and not in the most positive way.

Or maybe the collector who bought it just wanted to own part of the legacy of a talented artist?

7. "White Fire I" - Barnett Newman (Barnett Newman)

Sold for $3,800,000.

It is obvious that people who buy this kind of paintings are extraordinarily rich. But rich people become rich because of their intelligence.

If so, why would an intelligent collector buy such a work from an online auction based on the meager description of it on the site?

The name of the painting is a mystical term that is directly related to Torah. The Torah itself is aimed at deep spiritual unity, which Newman is trying, according to him, to instill in the viewer through his works.

But is it really so? Or maybe it's just difficult for an inexperienced person to trace the relationship between two lines on a blank canvas and the Torah?

8. "Untitled" - Cy Twombly (Cy Twombly)

Sold for $23,000,000.

This work was done on hastily at home on plain paper using conventional wax pencil, that is, the same material that used by a child when learning to write in kindergarten.

If you dull your eyes a little and look at the picture, doesn’t it seem to you that this masterpiece is very similar to a baby’s attempt to learn how to write the letter “e”?

9. "Cowboy" - Ellsworth Kelly (Ellsworth Kelly)

Sold for $1,700,000.

Kelly studied art for over four years at cultural institutions in Boston and Paris before deciding on the direction of the style of his work. After doing some research, he concluded that his works will be "block".

To an inexperienced eye, the choice may seem erroneous, because what is the value of these blocks, implemented on paper? Nevertheless, it is worth admitting a mistake, because from the point of view of the economy, the choice is very correct, but from the aesthetic side, the author is unlikely to have made the right decision.

10. "Blue fool" - Christopher Wool (Christopher Wool)

Sold for $5,000,000.

One can imagine how delighted Christopher, who specializes in painting words, when this particular work was sold for such a huge amount of money. I wonder when he painted his picture, could he have thought that he would be able to persuade someone to buy it?

Bravo, Christopher!

The most expensive paintings by artists

Most expensive paintings in the world, as a rule, are kept in galleries and museums in Europe and the USA. These paintings are so valuable that art lovers are willing to spend millions of dollars to buy them. Most often, the value of a painting depends on its age and the artist who painted it. Some paintings look pretty mundane at first glance but are worth millions simply because they were painted so globally. famous artists like Vincent Van Gogh or Pablo Picasso. Below is a list of the twenty-five most ridiculously expensive art and paintings in history:

25. Acrobat and Young Harlequin (Acrobat and Young Harlequin)

This painting by Pablo Picasso was originally valued at $38.5 million and sold for $69.4 million. This painting, painted in 1905, was first featured in Action: Cahsiers Individualistes De Philosophie at Princeton University in 1923 and was sold by Roger Janssen's heir to a certain Miitsukoshi in 1988. At the moment, the picture is in America and is in the public domain.

24. Agile Rabbit (Au Lapin Agile)

The Agile Rabbit was painted in 1904 by Pablo Picasso and sold in 1989 by Joan Whitney Payson's daughter Walter H Annenberg for $70 million. The auction took place on November 27, 1989 at Sotheby's, New York.

23. Diana and Actaeon

This painting is by Titian, Italian artist Renaissance, was written between 1556 and 1559. She is considered one of his greatest masterpieces. The painting depicts the moment when the goddess Diana met Actaeon. In 2009, the Duke of Sutherland donated this painting to National galleries Scotland and London (National Galleries of Scotland & National Gallery in London). The painting is valued at $70.6 million.

22. Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car I)

This painting, painted by Andy Warhol in 1963, was sold on May 16, 2007 to Philip Niarchos. Green Car Crash, better known as Burning Green Car I, was originally valued at $71.7 million but sold for $73.7 million. The auction took place at Christie's, New York.

21. Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers

The painting "Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers" depicts a bouquet of sunflowers placed in a vase. This painting Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh was painted in 1888 and is the second painting on the theme of sunflowers painted by this artist. It was sold by Chester Beatty's sister-in-law Yasuo Goto in 1987 for $74.5 million, almost double the original price of $39 million.

20. White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose)

Originally valued at $72.8 million, this painting by Mark Rothko was sold by David Rockefeller in 2007 to the Qatar royal family, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa At-Thani for $74.9 million. This abstract painting was completed in 1950 and is considered part of the artist's legendary and varied style of painting.

19. Curtain, Jug and Fruitbowl

This painting, painted by Paul Cezanne in 1894, was auctioned May 10, 1999 at Sotheby's, New York. Even though most people know it as "Curtain, pitcher and bowl of fruit", original name the picture sounds like "Rideau, Cruchon et Compotier". The painting was sold by the Whitney family to an unknown buyer for an adjusted price of $77.4 million.

18. Water Lily Pond

The painting "Pond with water lilies" (Le Bassin aux Nympheas) was written in 1919 French artist-impressionist Claude Monet, but it was put up for auction only on June 4, 2008. This oil-on-canvas painting was sold at Sotheby's in New York to J. Irrwin and Xenia S. Miller for $79.7 million.

17. Self Portrait of Picasso

Picasso's Self Portrait (Yo, Picasso) was sold for $47.9 million on May 9, 1989 by Wendell Cherry to Stavros Niachros at Sotheby's in New York. This painting was painted in 1901 and depicts the artist himself. It was considered the second most popular painting on the day it went up for auction. It currently has an adjusted value of $90.5 million.

16. Wheatfield with Cypresses

This painting, part of a series of paintings called "Wheat Field", was painted by Van Gogh in 1889 in the psychiatric hospital of Saint Paul de Mausole in Arles, France (where Van Gogh was temporarily in as a patient). In 1993, the painting was sold by Emil Georg Bührle's son Walter Annenberg for $84.1 million.

15. False Start

"False Start" is a painting by Jasper Johns that was put up for private auction by Richard Gray on October 12, 2006. It was written in 1959 and sold by David Geffen to Kenneth Griffin for $84.6 million, which was $4.6 million more than the original price of $80 million.

14. Marriage of Pierrette

The painting Les Noces de Pierrette, best known as Pierrette's Marriage, was painted in 1905, during the blue period» artist. During this period, Picasso experienced poverty and depression after the suicide of his friend Carlos Casagemas in 1901. In 1907, it was purchased by an art dealer named Joseph Stansky (Josef Stansky), but between 1945 and 1962 it was owned by Picasso's son named Paulo Picasso (Paulo Picasso). She was sold by Fredrik Roos to Tomonori Tsurumaki for $84.8 million in 1989.

13. "Triptych, 1976" (Triptych, 1976)

The painting entitled "Triptych", written by Francis Bacon (Francis Bacon) in 1976, was painted in oil and pastel on canvas and divided into three parts, each of which was 198 by 147 centimeters. It was sold at Sotheby's in London on May 14, 2008, where the Moueix Family sold this work of art to Roman Abramovich for $85.5 million.

12. "Portrait of Adele Block Bauer II" (Portrait of Adele Block Bauer II)

This was the second portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer painted by Gustav Klimt in 1912. Adele Bloch-Bauer was the wife of Ferdinand Block Bauer and his model. This painting was put up for auction in auction house Christie's and sold for nearly $88 million.

11. "Portrait of Vincent Van Gogh" (Portrait of Vincent Van Gogh)

Of the dozen self-portraits painted by Vincent van Gogh, this one is the only one that has survived to this day. In this self-portrait, painted in 1886, the artist's face is shown exactly as Van Gogh saw it when looking into the mirror (which he used to paint his own face). The painting was sold for $93.5 million.

10. Dora Maar with Cat

The painting "Dora Maar au Chat", also known as "Dora Maar with a cat", was painted by Pablo Picasso in 1941. This painting depicts the artist's mistress named Dora Maar, who is sitting in a chair with a kitten on her shoulder. The size of this painting is only 128.27 by 95.25 centimeters, however, it was sold in 2006 for $95,216,000.

9 Massacre of the Innocents

The Massacre of the Innocents was painted by Peter Paul Rubens and depicts the Massacre of the Innocents in Bethlehem in the Book of Matthew of the Holy Bible. It was completed in 1611 and auctioned off by Sotheby's in London on July 10, 2002, where an Austrian family sold it to Kenneth Thomson for $99.7 million.

8. "Irises" (Irises)

This Vincent van Gogh painting was painted in 1889 and sold to Alan Bond for $101.2 million by Joan Whitney Payson's son at an auction held at Sotheby's in New York on November 11, 1987. Van Gogh painted this masterpiece while in a psychiatric hospital in France.

7. "Portrait of the postman Joseph Roulin" (Portrait of Joseph Roulin)

Another van Gogh painting, Portrait of the Postman Joseph Roulin, was completed in 1889 and sold to the Museum of Modern Art in New York for more than $111 million (more than double its original price). $58 million).

6. "Boy with a pipe" (Boy with a Pipe)

The painting "Garçon à la pipe" or "Boy with a pipe", painted by Pablo Picasso in 1905, was completed during " pink period» Picasso while he was in Paris. The painting depicts a Persian boy wearing a wreath of roses, holding a pipe in his hand. The painting was sold by the Greentree Foundation to the Whitney family in 2004 for $104 million. Its current value is estimated at $129 million.

5. "Ball at the Moulin de la Galette" (Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette)

The painting Bal Du Moulin de Galette, better known as The Ball at the Moulin de la Galette, was painted by the French artist Pierre Auguste Renoir in 1876. The cost of the painting is estimated at 141.5 million dollars. At the moment, this painting is stored in the Orsay Museum (Musee de Orsay), located in Paris. This famous impressionist painting by Betsey Whitney was sold by Ryoei Saito in 1990.

4. "Portrait of Dr. Gachet" (Portrait of Dr. Gachet)

In a painting called "Portrait of Dr. Gachet", painted Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh, the doctor is depicted during recent months Van Gogh's life. The masterpiece was completed in 1890 at Auvers and auctioned for $82.5 million. At the moment, the cost of the picture is 149.5 million dollars.

3. "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I" (Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I)

This painting, painted by Gustav Klimt in 1907, was one of two portraits of Adele Bloch-Bauer. This painting, considered one of his greatest masterpieces, was sold to Ronald Lauder for $135 million at an auction held in New York in June 2006. For four months, this painting remained the most expensive in the world. It is currently valued at $155.8 million.

2. "Woman III" (Woman III)

Woman III was painted by the abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning and was one of six paintings he painted between 1951 and 1953. For two decades, the painting was part of the Tehram Museum of Contemporary Art collection, but in 2006 it was sold to Steven Cohen for $137.5 million. It is currently valued at $159.8 million.

1. "No. 5, 1948"

This painting was painted by Jackson Pollock in 1948 and purchased by David Martinez from David Geffen for $140 million at an auction held in New York on November 2, 2006. At the moment, the cost of this painting is estimated at 162.7 million dollars.

For some reason, we are only well promoted "Malevich's black square, as an example ... let there be good management.
However, there are still plenty of pictures of such a plan that, looking at them, you just think: "Well, for WHAT, for what SUCH money ?!" :))

The ten examples of painting given - bright examples of how you can get fabulous money for any frank daub (drawn by a five-year-old child or bought at a flea market, for example), having come up with a big name for it, composing incredible story creation and exhibiting at one of the most famous auctions in the world:

1. "The concept of space, waiting" Lucio Fontana - $ 1.5 million

Artist Lucio Fontana's 'Concept of Space, Waiting' has sold for $1.5 million at auction in London. This work is a one-color canvas with longitudinal slits. The question in a million: will the value of this painting increase if you make a couple more holes in it?

2. "Blood Red Mirror" by Gerhard Richter - $1.1 million

"Mirror" was sold for 1.1 million. Realizing the value of the rest of the works of Gerhard Richter, it is difficult to understand the value of this one. It's just red paint applied with a slight gradient to the mirror, right? Perhaps the collector who bought this piece just wanted to see himself in a mirror in a non-standard color.

3. Greenblot by Ellsworth Kelly - $1.6 million

This painting was sold for $1.6 million. To the best of our knowledge, for most of Ellsworth Kelly's works large sums it is not possible to help out, but this canvas is an exception. Yes, despite the fact that this is just a canvas with a deformed circle in the middle, there was a connoisseur and paid for it as much as a small Thai island costs.

4 Untitled (1961) Mark Rothko - $28 million

This work by Mark Rothko sold at auction for over $28 million. “Terrible” would probably be an exaggeration, but “boring” is probably the most exact description this picture. What would you say if your child, after studying for a year at art school, would bring such a masterpiece home? Well, for example: a) they were proud and would hang it on the wall or c) they would say: “Very good ... but next time try to draw something more recognizable.”

5. "Untitled" Blinky Palermo - $1.7 million

This work sold at auction for $1.7 million. "Untitled", like the rest of Palermo's work, is a combination of multi-colored stripes. One of art critics described this work of art as follows: “The canvases of Palermo give the viewer little, if any, they give only small changes in tone, there are no painterly touches. Instead, they show the viewer pure, undiluted color." Bravo! It's just amazing that someone could describe such a work that is not rich in elements and even find positive moments in it!

6. "Painting (Dog)" by Joan Miro - $2.2 million

This work by Joan Miró was sold at auction for $2.2 million. Among Miro's other fine works, this one seems to us an anomaly. It is difficult to understand why the collector bought this painting - maybe he just wanted to own part of the great master's legacy?

7. White Fire I, Barnett Newman - $3.8 million

White Fire I by Barnett Newman was purchased for $3.8 million. “The name “White Fire” is a mystical term originating from the Torah. As such, it is definitely filled with a deep spiritual feeling that Newman was trying to convey to the audience of his picture. Really? Are two lines on a blank canvas directly related to the Torah?

8. Untitled Cy Twombly - $2.3 million

This painting by Cy Twombly sold for $2.3 million at Christie's auction. This work was done with colored pencils on paper, that is, in much the same way, and with the same materials with which they try to draw the first letters in kindergarten. Seen sideways, it looks like a five-year-old kid practicing writing the letter "e", isn't it?

9 Cowboy, Ellsworth Kelly - $1.7 million

Ellsworth's cowboy Kelly sold at auction for $1.7 million. Kelly studied painting at the Museum for over four years. fine arts in Boston and Paris before developing your own own style. He decided to create a style that consists mostly of blocks on canvas. A beginner might think this is a bad choice: what's so special about polyhedra on paper? However, from an economic point of view, Kelly hit the nail on the head. What about aesthetic? Hardly.

10 Blue Fool Christopher Wool - $5 million

And finally, the picture with the symbolic name "The Blue Fool" is the most worthy conclusion to this article. It was sold at auction for over $5 million. It's hard to resist thinking that Christopher, who specializes in writing words on canvas, had a good laugh when this painting was sold. Convincing someone to buy a painting with the eloquent blue "Fool" written on it is just... bravo, Christopher!

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Incredible Facts

Not any of us will be able to appreciate this kind of painting at its true worth and read between the lines the meaning laid down by the author. But, nevertheless, the cost of paintings by contemporary artists is sometimes just going wild and collectors and connoisseurs of art from all over the world come to the auction to buy the creation they like.

Sometimes for a picture they like, they lay out such sums of money that even the authors themselves remain extremely surprised.

Below is a list of the strangest modern paintings that have been sold for millions of dollars.

1. "Spatial concept" - Lucio Fontana (Lucio Fontana)

Sold for $1,500,000.

This painting was sold for fabulous money at an auction in London. It seems as if the author simply painted over the canvas with color and "torn" the picture with oblique lines. The question is, of course, in a million: if the artist wants to get even more money for such a picture, should he just make another cut?

Or maybe the more the cut features mow, the higher the quality of the picture?

2. "Blood Red Mirror" - Gerhard Richter

Sold for $1,100,000.

"Picture - mirror" went under the hammer for 1.1 million. Of course, this artist is the author of many beautiful works, however, to understand this, apparently, you just need to be born an artist.

Rembrandt paintings revealed

It is difficult, if not impossible, to see in this masterpiece something like a mirror. Perhaps the collector who purchased it just wanted to see himself in more light when looking in the mirror.

The most expensive paintings

3. "Green and white" - Ellsworth Kelly (Ellsworth Kelly)

Sold for $1,600,000.

The works of this artist are very controversial, critics differ in their opinions about their value, but, of course, this picture is the most that neither is real gem.

This is the most common canvas with a deformed circle in the middle, and there are people who are willing to pay for the right to add this creation to their collection for as much as a small thai island .

4. "Untitled" - Mark Rothko (Mark Rothko)

Sold for $28,000,000.

Many spoke impartially about this picture, but it is rather simply boring. If your child, after graduating from art school, would bring you such a drawing, then there would be two possible scenarios for the development of events:

a) you would be terribly proud and hang a picture instead of a TV

b) tell him: "Good job, kid. Let's draw something different next time!"

5. "Untitled" - Blinky Palermo (Blinky Palermo)

Sold for $1,700,000.

The most famous painting thefts

You have to be a real professional in your field to mask the lack of color solutions in this way!

strange pictures

6. "Dog" - Joan Mira (Joan Mira)

Sold for $2,200,000.

In fact, the World has a lot of good ones, but this one really stands out and not in the most positive way.