Art has played an important role in society since the very inception of mankind; art brings beauty and enhances the world we live in. For some people, art simply represents a means to obtain a sense of joy, elation, and pleasure. For others, it is a way to reflect their culture and tradition. In some cases, art has a historical significance, while in others it is just a means to evoke the artist’s inner feelings.
Even though people collect art for different reason, they all have one thing in common: any serious art collector is someone of above average financial means. Millions of dollars are spent each year on art sales of all kinds, as collectors try to expand their ever-growing displays. Some of the most popular art collectors in the world include names such as Francois Pinault, A. Chen, or Bernard Arnault, but there a lot of collectors out there who choose to keep their art collection hidden from the public.
Following, we would like to present you with a list we have compiled of the top 10 art sales in 2013, according to the data released earlier this year by Bloomberg. The following art pieces were ranked according to their sale price. We’ve also included the title and the artist of the art piece, as well as the place where the sale was made. Buyers’ names are not included, as most of the following sales were made anonymously.
Curious to see what’s the most expensive art piece sold in 2013? Let’s take a look at the countdown.
No. 10: Saying Grace, Norman Rockwell
Sold For – $46 million
Sold at – Sotheby’s, New York, December 2013
No. 9: No. 11, Mark Rothko
Sold for – $46 million
Sold at – Christie’s New York, November 2013
No. 8: Dustheads, Jean-Michael Basquiat
Sold for – $48.8 million
Sold at – Christie’s New York, May 2013
No. 7: Grande tête mince (Grande tête de Diego), Alberto Giacometti
Sold for – $50 million
Sold at – Sotheby’s, New York, November 2013
No. 6: Woman with Flowered Hat, Roy Lichtenstein
Sold for – $56.1 million
Sold at – Christie’s, New York, May 2013
No. 5: Coca-Cola (3), Andy Warhol
Sold for – $57.2 million
Sold at – Christie’s, New York, November 2013
No. 4: Number 19, Jackson Pollock
Sold for – $58.3 million
Sold at – Christie’s, New York, May 2013
No. 3: Balloon Dog (Orange), Jeff Koons
Sold for – $58.4 million
Sold at – Christie’s, New York, November 2013
No. 2:Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster), Andy Warhol
Sold for – $104 million
Sold at – Sotheby’s, New York, November 2013
No. 1: Three Studies of Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon
Sold for – $142.4 million
Sold at – Christie’s, New York, November 2013
