These Are the 10 Most Expensive Artworks Sold at Auction in 2019
From Jeff Koons to Claude Monet.
As the year comes to a close, Artsy has put together a list of the most expensive artworks sold at auction in 2019. The pieces included in the list were exclusively sold from Christie’s and Sotheby’s, with most being from the auction houses’ New York locations.
Many of the pieces were made after 1960, signaling a strong interest in contemporary art. Jeff Koons, Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg are all contemporary leaders on the list. However, contemporary pieces mentioned are grounded by iconic works that date before 1960 from the likes of Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne and Francis Bacon.
Below is the full list of top 10 most expensive artworks sold at auction this year, which is compiled in ascending order based on each artwork’s selling price.
Artsy/Christie’s
10. Henry Geldzahler and Christopher Scott
Artist: David Hockney, 1969
Selling Price: $49,557,100 USD
Auction House: Christie’s London, March 6, 2019
Artsy/Sotheby’s
9. Untitled
Artist: Mark Rothko, 1960
Selling Price: $50,095,250 USD
Auction House: Sotheby’s New York, May 16, 2019
Artsy/Christie’s
8. Study for a Head
Artist: Francis Bacon, 1952
Selling Price: $50,380,000 USD
Auction House: Sotheby’s New York, May 16, 2019
Artsy/Christie’s
7. Hurting the Word Radio #2
Artist: Ed Ruscha, 1964
Selling Price: $52,485,000 USD
Auction House: Christie’s New York, November 13, 2019
Artsy/Christie’s
6. Double Elvis [Ferus Type]
Artist: Andy Warhol, 1963
Selling Price: $53,000,000 USD
Auction House: Christie’s New York, May 15, 2019
Artsy/Christie’s
5. Femme Au Chien
Artist: Pablo Picasso, 1962
Selling Price: $54,936,000 USD
Auction House: Sotheby’s New York, May 14, 2019
Artsy/Christie’s
4. Bouilloire et fruits
Artist: Paul Cezanne, 1888–90
Selling Price: $59,295,000 USD
Auction House: Christie’s New York, May 13, 2019
Artsy/Christie’s
3. Buffalo II
Artist: Robert Rauschenberg, 1964
Selling Price: $88,805,000 USD
Auction House: Christie’s New York, May 15, 2019
Artsy/Christie’s
2. Rabbit
Artist: Jeff Koons, 1986
Selling Price: $91,075,000 USD
Auction House: Christie’s New York, May 15, 2019
Artsy/Christie’s
1. Meules
Artist: Claude Monet, 1890
Selling Price: $110,747,000 USD
Auction House: Sotheby’s New York, May 14, 2019
In addition to auctioning fine art this year, Christie’s also hosted a Supreme and luxury rarities auction, which ended up landing $2.1M USD in total sales.
