Highlights
- Jackson Pollock’s Number 7A, 1948 sold for £135.3 million at Christie’s in New York
- The sale set a new auction record for Pollock and placed the work among the highest-priced artworks ever sold
- Recent years have seen several paintings and artworks cross the nine-figure mark
- From Leonardo da Vinci to Gustav Klimt, auction records continue to be rewritten
Pollock’s latest sale joins an elite club
Jackson Pollock has entered rare company after Number 7A, 1948 sold for £135.3 million at Christie’s in New York. The sale became the artist’s highest auction result and placed the painting among the most expensive artworks ever sold under the hammer.
The record-breaking figure has once again drawn attention to the handful of paintings and artworks that sit at the top of the auction world. Here is a look at some of the biggest sales in history.
1. Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci
Sold for: £335.9 million
The Renaissance painting attributed to Leonardo da Vinci remains the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction. Its sale in 2017 stunned the art world and still stands as the benchmark for high-value art transactions.
2. Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer by Gustav Klimt
Sold for: £176.4 million
Painted between 1914 and 1916, Gustav Klimt’s portrait reached a landmark figure at Sotheby’s last year and became the second most expensive artwork ever sold at auction.
3. Number 7A, 1948 by Jackson Pollock
Sold for: £135.3 million
Pollock’s latest result marks a major leap for the abstract expressionist painter. The work is regarded as a key moment in his artistic journey and now stands as his highest auction sale.
4. Danaïde by Constantin Brâncuşi
Sold for: £80.3 million
The bronze sculpture sold at Christie’s during the same auction and broke the artist’s previous record. Created around 1913, the work delivered one of the evening’s standout results.
5. No 15 (Two Greens and Red Stripe) by Mark Rothko
Sold for: £73.4 million
Mark Rothko’s abstract painting also set a new personal auction record, underlining continued demand for modern and post-war art.
6. Portrait of Madame K by Joan Miró
Sold for: £39.9 million
Joan Miró’s work surpassed the artist’s previous auction benchmark, adding another record to Christie’s strong night of sales.
7. The Dream (The Bed), 1940 by Frida Kahlo
Sold for: £40.8 million
Frida Kahlo’s self-portrait became the highest-priced painting by a woman sold at auction and marked a major moment in art market history.
Record prices continue to reshape the art market
Pollock’s latest result suggests auction houses are still attracting extraordinary bids for major works. While records continue to fall, only a select group of artists have entered the highest tier of sales, where prices stretch far beyond traditional expectations of the art world.
