This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at McGill chapter.

It’s hard to believe, but despite economic disparity, the art world continuously thrives, fueling a multi-billion dollar market. The most famous names are among Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, and Jackson Pollock; it’s incredible to comprehend the prices their paintings sell for. As the BBC explains, the value of art remains so high due to “the sheer amount of money in private hands allow[ing] billionaires… to indulge in a highly competitive sport to bag the best artworks.” Whether they are purchased as collector pieces or purely for the appreciation of an art work, it is a staggeringly expensive world. Here are some of the most expensive paintings ever sold according to The Guardian.

5: Le Rêve

Artist: Pablo Picasso

Sold for: $155 million

Year Sold: 2013

Le Rêve is an oil painting from 1932 that portrays the painter’s mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter. It is classified as part of Picasso’s period of “distorted depictions,” and “oversimplified outlines,” key features of Fauvism.

4: Woman III

Artist: Willem de Kooning

Sold for: $135.7 million

Year Sold: 2006

Woman III is one of a series of six paintings created between 1951 and 1953 that focuses on the theme of women by de Kooning. It was purchased by billionaire Steven Cohen in November 2006.

3: No. 5

Artist: Jackson Pollock

Sold for: $140 million

Year Sold: 2006

Pollack’s style of art makes use of his entire body to create his pieces. He drips and splatters layers of paint, one layer on top of the other, in order to create a patterned effect. It sold at the highest price ever paid at an auction for a painting, to an unknown buyer.

2: The Card Players

Artist: Paul Cézenne

Sold for: $250 million

Year Sold: 2011

The Card Players, painted around 1893, is one in a series of five works depicting French peasants playing cards, and was purchased by the kingdom of Qatar. Paul Cézenne is often considered the father of modern art.

1: Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?)

Artist: Paul Gauguin

Sold for: $300 million

Year Sold: 2015

The painting of two Tahitian women was recently purchased by a Qatari buyer from a Swiss private collection, making it the most expensive painting sold to date.

Fun Fact:

Jeff Koon’s The Balloon Dog (Orange) is currently “thef most expensive art work by a living artist ever to sell at an auction, having sold for $58.4 million” at Christie’s.

Information obtained from:

http://www.pablopicasso.org/the-dream.jsp

http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2015/feb/10/the-10-most-expensive-paintings-ever-sold

http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20130417-why-is-art-so-expensive

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kathryntully/2013/11/13/the-most-expensive-art-ever-sold-at-auction-christies-record-breaking-sale/

http://www.wikiart.org/en/jackson-pollock/number-5-1948-1

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2096051/Most-expensive-art-piece-sold-Qatar-buys-C-zannes-The-Card-Players-160m.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/18/arts/design/18pain.html

Images Obtained from:

https://artmodel.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/picasso-le-reve.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e7/Woman3.jpg

http://www.jackson-pollock.org/images/paintings/number-5.jpg