How much would you pay for a painting? The late Francis Bacon’s triptych of his fellow painter Lucian Freud sold for $142 million at Christie’s Tuesday night, edging out Munch’s “Scream” for the title of Most Expensive Work of Art Sold at Auction.
And talk about inflation: That same night, Jeff Koons’ “Balloon Dog” — a 10-foot-tall stainless steel rendering of what looks like a party-clown treat — pulled in an eye-popping $58.4 million, a world record price for a single artwork by a living artist.
Then again, those are practically bargains considering how much deep-pocketed art lovers, most of them anonymous, have paid in private sales. Here’s a list of the most expensive artworks in the world — so far:
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