Art

The Cost to Buy Picasso Art

Pablo Picasso was an amazing artist and one of the most well-known in the 20^th century. His unique style and innovative techniques make his work very sought after. Those that are able to, pay high prices to acquire his works at auction. Here are the top five highest priced pieces to go up for sale by this artist.

1. Version ‘O’
   179.4 MillionThis painting has a long history of breaking auction sale records. Bought in 1956, as part of a large Picasso collection, this painting remained in the original buyer’s hands for 41 years before it was sold at Christie’s auction house in New York for 31.9 million. Then it broke records again in 2015 when it came back on the market and fetched more than five times that amount, making it the highest sales price for this artist’s work.
2. Young Girl with a Flower Basket
   115 MillionIncluded in the art sale of the famous Rockefeller’s art collection at Christie’s New York in 2018, this piece had the highest bid. Other artists in that sale included Henri Matisse, Paul Gauguin, and Claude Monet. The roses in the girl’s basket help identify it as a painting from the artists rose period, which was known for his subtle use of the flowers.
3. Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust
   106.5 MillionChristie’s auction house in New York sold this piece as part of a large Impressionist lot in 2010, but this piece was the stand out winner of the evening. It is one of a series the artists did in 1932 of his muse, Marie-Thérèse Walter. It was originally purchased in 1951 for less than 20 thousand dollars as a gift and was then held by a private collector for over 50 years.
4. Boy With a Pipe
   104.2 MillionThis Picasso piece depicts a seated Parisian teenager smoking a pipe and wearing a crown of roses, hinting at it being painted during the artists Rose Period. In May of 2004 it was sold as part of a private collection by Sotheby’s of New York. An anonymous bidder beat out six other bidders to secure it for over 70 Million above the estimate that evening. It is one of the few works from that period in the artist’s career to still remain in private hands.
5. Woman Sitting Near a Window
   103.4 MillionSold by Christie’s in 2020, this piece sold for more than double the estimate. It surprised and delighted people that the art market had returned with such fervor after the pandemic. Before its sale, the piece had been exhibited at Paris’ Picasso art museum. It features his muse, Marie-Thérèse Walter, sitting in a chair as if on display for the viewer.

These pieces are all beautiful, as well as many more by the prolific painter. He had a number of different artistic periods to choose from and each one presents a different aspect of his genius. Since most of us are not able to afford the original, feel free to browse our top quality reproductions in the Picasso gallery to being some of his magnificent works home with you.