Do you know what are the most expensive Van Gogh paintings? The breathtaking sunflowers or his famous self-portrait that depicts one suffered, yet passionate soul? Although we will discuss later in the article about Van Gogh paintings that for some reason or another were priced higher than all of the others, we must say that none of his paintings deserves a price tag. I hope that art lovers across the world will agree with me on this, since there can be no price on life, and all Van Gogh paintings were his life, as all came from the deepest, most hidden and sensitive corridors of his soul. Not a single Van Gogh piece lacks passion, love, true devotion, that eternal flame that we all have in ourselves, but only a few of us use its power.
“There may be a great fire in our soul, yet no one ever comes to warm himself at it, and the passers-by see only a wisp of smoke.” – Vincent van Gogh
This world-renowned painter, who created many masterpieces, providing the world with one of the greatest gifts – the gift of true art, never dreamed during his lifetime that his paintings would end up being among the most expensive paintings in the world. And how could he? His life was a constant battle for survival and the only thing that kept him alive was his art.
Every artist needs a form of recognition. This phrase, perhaps sounding shallow at first glance, has a hidden depth. Van Gogh, as any true painter, yearned for a connection, for the sense of belonging somewhere. It was not the fame he was longing for, it was not the money, it was only a recognition of his great fire, which was ironically disregarded as a mere wisp of smoke.
“I wish they would only take me as I am.” – Vincent van Gogh
Most of the people are fairly familiar with Van Gogh’s tragic story, and he is most often exemplified as that of an artist who gained recognition only after his death. A story that provides a great comfort to many lonely artists, who struggle to find their path in life, never giving up on their ideas and talents, having the faith of being just another person ahead of their time.
One must wonder – did Van Gogh’s tragic life story had an influence on his acceptance that came soon after he took his last breath? And if so, does that mean that people really needed an interpretation of his art, a portrait of the artist in order to understand the beauty of his colors? If his story never came to the public eye, would his paintings now be rotting away in some basement, never recognized, left to die, tragically as the artist? Who knows.
Fortunately, although too late for Van Gogh himself, the world has recognized the true value of his art. He may have departed from this world in despair, but those in despair today can find solace in the paintings that he left behind; they who seek comfort in the beauty of true art.
If you like art as much as I do, don’t skip reading about 12 Famous Paintings with The Stories Behind Them, two from this list are found there as well.
In order to find Van Gogh’s masterpieces that have reached the highest prices we browsed the Internet and found a few sources that were discussing the same topic, such as VanGoghStudio, and WideWalls, to name a few. We checked each painting, individually, to confirm those price tags, and provided the links to those sources that we could find in the descriptions. Paintings are ranked from the lowest to the highest priced, according to inflation-adjusted prices, but we are also providing you with the data of original prices at the time.
Are you ready for a magic art journey through some of Van Gogh’s amazing art pieces? Let’s begin with the countdown of most expensive Van Gogh paintings then!
